PPP wants March 18 declared National holiday

Government has made it clear that March 18, the day set aside for Local Government Elections (LGE), is not a public holiday, instead the Ministry of Education announced that schools will be closed one day earlier (March 17).

However, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is calling on the government to declare March 18, 2016, a public holiday.

The party in a press release today recalled that “recent elections days have been invariably declared a national holiday in order to facilitate electors across the political spectrum to vote.”

It noted that “the PPP/C recalls that it was the APNU+AFC that was pushing aggressively for Local Government Elections claiming that people were anxious and excited about being empowered to direct their local officers. In addition, it is to be noted that thousands of electors reside out of their Constituencies and therefore a holiday would facilitate easy availability of time and space to exercise the franchise.”

The PPP is hopeful that the Diplomatic Community would take note of these developments which can prove inimical to the interests of the electorate.

The party is insisting that the relevant authorities accede to the demand that March 18, 2016, be declared a national holiday.