The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has questioned the Electoral Commission’s readiness for the November General Elections.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, the National Coordinator of civil society group, Albert Kofi Arhin, questioned among others whether the commission has fully implemented the recommendations of the Justice VCRAC Crabbe panel, which took submissions and proposals for and against a new voters’ register.
According to him, the panel did not only recommend the use of the new current register for the polls, but also suggested that some things are done to improve it.
Albert Kofi Arhin, a former Director of Operations at the Commission’s latest posture, is at variance with similar concerns raised by another civil society group, the Institute of Economic Affairs, IEA.
The IEA first questioned the EC’s preparedness towards the elections in November, but Mr. Arhin told Citi News the commission may genuinely be challenged and thus should be given a hearing before anyone suggested that they were ill-prepared.
Officials of the commission also responded to the IEA’s complaints by saying everything was on course for the crucial poll.
Speaking at the roundtable discussion, CODEO’s Albert Kofi Arhin said the concerns expressed about the voters’ register by stakeholders in the election, must be of utmost concern to the commission going into the polls.
He wondered whether the commission was indeed ready for the polls considering that the voters’ register is currently a subject of a legal tussle.
CODEO in making its submission gave an instance in the just ended Ugandan elections, where it says the credibility of that country’s voters’ register became an issue and affected the outcome of the election.
Citi News’ Sixtus Don Ullo quoted CODEO officials as saying that, the EC’s responses so far and their timetable for the election makes it almost impossible for it to fully address all the concerns raised by the various stakeholders before the elections. Electoral Commission Timetable for elections
•April 18th – April 27th – Limited Registration
•Exhibition of Voters’ Register – June 2016
•18th July – 19th July – Filing of nominations by political parties (for presidential/parliamentary nominees)
•Transfer of votes – Ends in September
•General Election – 7th November 2016
•November 28th – Date for Run-off in case of a tie
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