PHOTO: NEC Chairperson Davidetta Browne-Lansanah
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The National Elections Commission (NEC) has announced the holding of the biometric voter registration in preparation for the holding of the presidential and legislative election in the country in 2023
NEC Chairperson, David Etta Brown-Lansanah, disclosed that the registration process has been divided in to three regions and will be conducted in three months.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, Madam Lansanah explained that region one, which consists of Montserrado Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Gbapolu Counties, will start on December 15, 2022 and end January 6, 2023.
She added that the second region, including Margibi, Grand Bassa , Bong and Lofa Counties, January 21 2023, to February 10, 2023.
According to her, region three, including Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Riveregee, Maryland, Grand Kru , Sinoe and Rivercess , will start on February 25, 2023 and end March 27, 2023.
Madam Lansanah indicated that the registration team will spend three weeks at each registration center and the schedules will be released.
The NEC Chairperson made it clear that 61 million United States Dollars has been budgeted for the 2023 presidential and legislative elections but, 20 million United States Dollars has been placed in this year’s national budget and six million United States Dollars has been place in the commission’s account.
The NEC boss pointed out that biometric voter registration will prevent multiple registrations, create accuracy of the information collected from each voter and is unique lifetime voter registration system.
Madam Lansanah claimed that biometric voter registration will eradicate impersonation of voter, removal of duplicated records from the voter registration system and eradicate issues related to unintentional errors during the s\data entry process.
The seats of the entire 73-member House of Representatives and half of the 30-member Senate seats will be contested for during next year’s elections.
Besides, incumbent President George Manneh Weah of the ruling CDC party is expected to make his second-term bid in the upcoming polls.
When NEC launched the biometric feasibility study report in December last year, the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, the European Union and the Swedish Embassy promised their support to the achievement of biometric voter registration in Liberia.