Electoral Commission, clear the suspense
It is about five months to the proposed new date for the 2016 elections but it is even not clear if, indeed, the elections will be held on November 7. Although the Electoral Commission (EC) has tentatively set November 7, 2016 as the date for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections, the entire country is currently in the dark as to where we are with the process to confirm the new date.
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Also, after political parties had complained that the current voters register was bloated and needed to be replaced or cleaned, the matter ended up at the Supreme Court, which ruled that people who registered with National Health Insurance Scheme cards were not eligible and so their names should be removed from the register and steps taken to re-register those who so qualify.
There have been several interpretations of the ruling of the Supreme Court on the matter by both the EC and other stakeholders.
Despite the reminder by the EC to all political parties that per the laws governing elections in the country they are supposed to have two-thirds presence in all districts of the country before they can operate as political parties, it is not certain if, indeed, that provision in the law will be followed through in this year’s elections.
This is because the EC has not as yet communicated to the 26 registered political parties which of them are eligible to present candidates for the elections and which are not qualified, according to the law.
The Daily Graphic believes that this has, to a large extent, contributed to the near dormancy of even the thriving political parties in the country.
Ordinarily, in an election year such as 2016, there should be indications that, indeed, the country is geared up for elections, but this has been strangely missing this year.
The Daily Graphic is of the view that the disquiet in the country presently is as a result of the seeming inaction of the EC on the matters raised.
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It is only five months to elections but no jingles are being played on air. One would have thought that the opposite should be the case by this time of the year due to the proliferation of television and radio stations in the country.
Political campaigns are, at best, muffled, as if the political parties are unsure of themselves taking part in the elections.
Dealers in political party paraphernalia also seem to be at the receiving end, since the current atmosphere does not engender the commercialisation of political party paraphernalia.
We urge the EC to shake the country from the slumber in which it has been put by addressing all the relevant issues pertaining to this year’s elections.
Are we going to the polls this year? And will it be on December 7 or November 7? Which political parties will slug it out for the presidency and the parliamentary seats?
Do we have enough equipment to go round all polling stations in the country during the elections? Has the EC’s budget for the elections been approved by the Cabinet? Is the Election Security Task Force ready to oversee an incident-free general election this year?
These and many more are questions begging to be answered and we urge the EC to reassure all stakeholders, including the political parties and voters, that the country is on track for this year’s elections.