Papua New Guinea elections marred by shots

Papua New Guinea's 2-week-long general election got off to a rocky start with police firing warning shots to quell angry voters, the BBC reported Sunday. The gunfire occurred in the Southern Highlands where frustrated voters were upset because they had to wait for ballot boxes to arrive, the British network said. More than a third of Papua New Guinea's polling stations are accessible only by air. About 3,500 candidates are running for slightly more than 100 seats in Parliament. Among them are Peter O'Neill and Michael Somare, who both have claimed to be the country's prime minister. The Supreme Court ruled last year that O'Neill's election by members of Parliament was illegal and found that Somare should be reinstated.