Doloquee
Monrovia — The chairperson of the National Election Commission, Davidetta Brown Lassanah, has clearly stated that Liberia will not utilize an electronic voting system during the upcoming 2023 general and presidential elections.
Davidetta Brown Lassanah made the declaration on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, when she appeared at the House of Representatives to provide clarity on the process of the elections matters.
The NEC chairperson’s decision for manual voting comes in the wake of the numerous cases that often end in court for the accusations of fraud and rigging of election results.
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In support of her claim, there has not been a single election held in recent years that a candidate has not challenged NEC in court. Dating back from 2005 to the most recent election, candidates from different political institutions have faced issues with the results.
She acknowledged that the country would carry out its first-ever biometric voter registration, but there would be no biometric voting.
While one would wonder why the NEC should use a biometric registration for a manual voting process, the chairperson has lain exclusively emphasis on how the biometric registration would help stop “double registration.”
Madam Lassanah warned those who are in the habit of registering at multiple places to desist from the act. “Anyone who attempts multiple registration will be weeded out because of the fingerprint used during the process,” Davidetta Brown Lassanah.
In related news, the biometric registration slated for March 20, 2023, might face hitches as the company is unable to pre-finance the work as stated in the document.
Their financial struggle has forced the NEC to rely on the government to provide US$4.5 million to the vendor to bring in the materials for the process. Phase one of the process, which targets six counties, is expected to end on April 9.
Stay tuned as we continue to bring you up to date with the latest happening in our country.
