The NEC elaborates on the requirements for eligibility

By M.A. Egge

The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has announced that the 2022/23 voter registration exercise will begin in 176 locations across the country on the 28th of December 2022.

They also urged the members of the public to register themselves to vote en mass.

In a press release issued on Monday by the Electoral Commission office, the National Elections Commission said that it is engaged in the preparation of the voter registration program, which is required to be held before every election, as stipulated in article 43-paragraph 4 of the General Law on Elections and the Voter Registration (Law No. 91/2020).

The NEC has to register voters nationally hence updating the electoral register as per legal procedures specified in the constitution.

The Commission’s statement added that they had “submitted the 2022/23 voter registration proposal to the JSL President as per Article 44 of the General Elections & Voter Registration Act (Law No. 91/2020), which the President issued by decree dated 11 December 2022”.

The NEC announced that;

  1. Voter Registration 2022/23 will officially start in 176 locations across the country, on 28 Dec 2022.
  2. Voter registration will be in two phases-
  3. The first phase of 15 days registration will be open at all the 176 locations.
  4. In the second phase, the registration will continue at designated centers in 23 electoral constituencies and border areas for a similar period of 15 days.
  5. The eligible citizens allowed to vote are:-
  • Someone who has not registered before
  • A person who has reached the voting age of 15 years -post the 2020/2021 registration.
  • A person who registered more than once and whose card was rendered invalid
  • A previously registered person who did not receive a voting card for the 2016 and 2020/2021 registrations.
  • A person who previously held the KDQ Provisional Voting Registration Certificate.

On the other hand, any person who lost his/her voting card is given the opportunity to request to be re-issued with one if he/she meets the required conditions.

Also, any person who has moved from his/her place of voting will be changed to another electoral district; he/she can change to one of 23 electoral constituencies.

Lastly, the Electoral Commission is urging all Somaliland communities to participate in the 2022/2023 voter registration process.

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