Koim overtakes Ekil in dramatic Dei count shift

Former anti-corruption advocate Sam Koim has surged into the lead of the Dei By-Election, unseating long-time frontrunner Tui Ekil following a pivotal elimination round today.

The shift occurred during elimination 21, which saw the exclusion of candidate James Pini. Pini, who bowed out with 14,355 votes, saw his preferences distributed among the remaining contenders, significantly altering the race’s trajectory.

Ekil, an Independent candidate and philanthropist who had maintained a steady lead since the commencement of counting on Day One, now sits in second place. The margin between the two frontrunners has narrowed to 444 votes.

As of the latest tallies, the standings for the top four candidates now sees Sam Koim climb to top with 21,994 votes, Ekil has moved to second [21,550 votes], Desmond Paul Kipa has held on to third spot [19,803 votes] with James Memba Weiya in fourth place with 15,967 votes.

The current Absolute Majority now stands at 39,658 votes.

Counting Officials have suspended counting at 2:45pm.

With only two candidates left to be excluded before the final winner is identified, anticipation remains high in the District.