EC will not extend registration deadline

By Moses Mulondo
 
The Electoral Commission boss Dr. Badru Kiggundu has said he will not extend the deadline for registering voters for the 2016 general elections.

The ongoing registration of voters started on April 7, and it will be closing on April, 30, 2015.

In an interview with New Vision, Kiggundu said, “That deadline will not be extended. Ugandans are used to endless deadlines. Whoever intends to vote in the next elections should do so before we close the process.”

On how many new voters they target in the ongoing exercise, Kiggundu, “We target to get between 1million and 2millions.”

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the commission also notified the public that it has deleted/retired the old voters’ register which was used in the 2011 general elections.

“Consequently, effective March 31, 2015, the commission retired the2011 National Voters’ Register. It will not be used for purposes of elections and/or referenda in 2016 and beyond,” Kiggundu said.

He explained that the extracted information from the National Identification register and the ongoing fresh registration will constitute the new national voters’ register.

“All persons who were registered for purposes of the elections prior to the 2011 general elections and consequent update exercises conducted for purposes of by-elections, and did not register during the enrolment exercise for national IDs, are required to register in the ongoing registration for purposes of voting,” Kiggundu elaborated.

Reacting to the notification, DP Secretary General Mathias Nsubuga said, “They have no power to delete the old register. The constitution requires them to just update the register. Otherwise, they will be disenfranchising so many Ugandans. The period for fresh registration also needs to be extended because it is too short yet they are only operating at parish level.”

FDC Secretary General Alice Alaso said, “They should not delete the old register. It is their role to ensure that no eligible voter is left out. On the deadline, they need to extend it at least for one week. The students will over the weakened be starting their holidays and these constitute majority of the new voters.”

NRM caucus spokesman Denis Obua said, “The old is old and the new is new. The EC is right to disregard the old register. There is nothing wrong with using data from the national ID register. After all, those who may not have registered for IDs are being registered in the ongoing exercise of updating the voters’ register.”

EC spokesman Jotham Taremwa said, “If you know you did register for the National ID but your name is in the old register or you have reached the vote age of 18 years and above, you have between now and 30th April, 2015 to register without which you will not be able to vote in the next elections.”

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