r Printing of the FRR
Printing
of the Final Registration Roll (FRR) began on
As
part of NEC’s ongoing Voter Education efforts, new banners have been produced
and are available to be shipped to the counties this week. The banners give
information on obtaining replacement cards, and “Vote first, your vote is
important,” which urges women to vote before undertaking their chores.
Audio
tapes of the weekly program “Dis Voting Thing” have been duplicated and will be
shared with 30 community radio stations around the country in order to more
efficiently include listeners in the rural areas.
The
NEC has forwarded approximately 200 cases of suspected multiple or underage registrations
to
Three
other cases have been argued before the Supreme Court. One of these is of
aspirants challenging the rejection of their applications to stand as
candidates because they were not registered voters. According to Section 23.2 of the Guidelines
Relating to the Registration of Political Parties and Independent Candidates,
registration is a pre-requisite for candidacy.
The issue of ‘one person, one vote’ will be argued on
In a joint suit, some rejected independent candidates
contend that they were denied the due process of law by the Commission, because
they were not given time to correct deficiencies in their applications. They
also contend that NEC was unfair to independent candidates as compared to
political parties because the Guidelines allowed political parties about six to
seven months to obtain their lists of eligible voters, while independent
candidates were required to file petition lists of registered voters in less
than three months. This was submitted on
On
During the launching program the performers staged
traditional dances and sensitized the public on the election date, the number
of ballots, the colors of the ballot papers, the time for opening and closing
of the polls, and where the counting will take place. CDs, tapes and T-shirts
were distributed to people attending the event.
One version of the song is in Standard English
and another in Liberian English. The song is being availed to commercial and
community radio stations for public dissemination.
Asked about NEC’s state of readiness for a possible run-off
election in the event that no presidential candidate obtains an absolute
majority (fifty percent + 1 vote) in the elections on October 11, Co-Chair
Fromayan said the Commission is fully aware of this possibility and is making
adequate preparations with support from its international partners.
The Co-Chair said logistical arrangements, are being
worked out in advance. He added that when the results of the elections begin to
come in, a clear picture will emerge on whether or not there will be a second
round of voting. He said by law the NEC must announce the official results by
October 26, and it will require about 2 weeks thereafter to prepare for a
run-off. He disclosed that a tentative date of November 8 is being considered
for a run-off.
On the claim by some rejected candidates
that, in disqualifying them, NEC acted in violation of section 19.3 of its
Guidelines which provides for a 7-day period for correction of deficiencies in
candidate nominations, the Co-Chair said the Commission acted fully in line
with the Guidelines. He said the nomination process which ran from July 21 through
August 6 provided adequate time for candidates to submit complete applications
and provided time to correct deficiencies in their applications.
Co-Chair Fromayan explained that candidates were
advised to make early submissions so that if deficiencies were detected by NEC
they would be able to take advantage of the 7 days to make the necessary
corrections before the process closed. He noted that those candidates who
waited until the last few days of the process had to make sure that their
documents were in order.
Regarding the court case filed against NEC by COTOL which
is arguing that, since there are two senators for a county, voters should be
allowed to vote for two candidates per county in the Senate elections, Co-Chair
Fromayan clarified that in line with the law, each voter is entitled to a
single vote. “This has been the trend and this is what the law says,” he noted.
Asked what would be the position of
NEC if the Supreme Court ruled against the Commission in this case and other
challenges filed by rejected candidates, the Co-Chair said he preferred not to
delve into these matters since they were still in the hands of the Supreme
Court, but noted that their determination was within the purview of the Court.
On the question of why the NEC was
proceeding with the printing of the ballots whereas rulings in several court
cases filed against the Commission are pending, the Co-Chair said NEC cannot
put the electoral process at a standstill simply because some people are
raising contentions of being treated unfairly. He stressed that the elections
are set for October 11 and NEC has to continue working towards that date and
not be distracted from the extensive logistical preparations. “Life has to go
on,” the Co-Chair pointed out.
Requested to provide an update on
the printing of the ballots, the Co-Chair said the process is progressing
smoothly. He reiterated that political parties have been invited to travel to
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