PPP/C claims “significant number” of Disciplined Services ranks voting without IDs

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is claiming that a “significant number” of the Disciplined Services ranks voting for the Local Government Elections (LGE) are presenting themselves without any form of identification at the respective polling stations.

The opposition party in a press release today said it was informed by its Party agents overseeing the balloting.

“The PPP/C views this situation as very alarming given: the experience of recent national elections and the possibility for the opportunity being created to compromise the integrity of the poll on Local Government Elections day March 18, 2016,” the party noted.

It was highlighted that while it is “possible for an elector to vote without an ID Card, on the proper administering of an “Oath of Identity”, this process is a lengthy one and is open to abuse in the form of “voter misdirection, delay and consequent voter frustration.”

PPP/C  said this is happening even as GECOM has expended enormous sums of money for “Voter Education,” which it believes so far, seems to have had little impact amongst the “Disciplined Forces”.

It further stated that “the repeat of this phenomenon indicates the urgent need for reform in the electoral legislation to allow for the presentation only of a valid National Identification Card for the purpose of voting.”

The Party is calling on the electoral body  to “vigorously encourage and promote the requirement for the use of the ID card so as to allow for an expeditious and transparent Local Government Elections process in 2016.”