Omission in the electoral register: does the wrong done to voters have be redeemed or not?

The transitional government’s leader noticed that scores of voters were not able to cast their votes since they were found nowhere inside the electoral register. Omer Beriziky completed a tour through many polling stations in the capital city and in the suburbs and came to the conclusion that the Electoral Commission would have the duty to redeem its failures in time for the presidential election’s pending second round. Yet he did not challenge the first round’s credit for so much.

the UNPD’s representative will tolerate no arguing though. Voters left out of the electoral register at the end of its composition will not be let in for the year 2013’s second round of the presidential elections. The very same one register will be used to the completion of the electoral process. Time to alterations is over: “they had one full year to see to it. They only have themselves to blame” did she simply reply… a big blow to the Electoral Commission’s independence from the international community’s financial support.

Beatrice Atallah reminded though, that the law enables a personal complain to be lodged by voters left out of the electoral register. She promised to have a general assembly of the Electoral Commission to address the issue as early as possible. Although the very same registered is used from the beginning to the completion of any electoral process throughout Africa, we here in Madagascar are used to do things differently and allow necessary alterations of the electoral register between both rounds of an election.” declared the President of the Electoral Commission.

“Only this exceptional way has so far been leading us to the systematic enhancement of the electoral register. As for you, voters, it is your duty to join your respective Fokontany, check up for your names, and require your electoral cards” she added later on. A too small number of citizens must have complied, as a matter of fact. As an evidence of the extent of the issue, not even some Fokontany leaders bothered to do what it takes to have their names on the electoral register.

Even though the voters’ will to check their names up and recover their electoral cards proved low, the skills of the Electoral Commission’s agents supposed to see to the basic census may also have been a factor to these problems. Yet, the presidential challengers unexpectedly seem to be the most tolerant ones towards the Electoral Commission, and expect it to do as it pleases up to the end of the second round.

Confusion had its own moment of glory on October 25th. Those inscribed inside the electoral register were basically allowed to cast their votes, with or without electoral card in hand. In practical terms, following this up would have proved complicated, considering that it would have come up to queuing up at every polling station on the D Day in expectation of finding his own name in the right sub register. Even with an electoral card in hand, someone would have struggled finding the right polling station. Up to the beginning of the decisive round, the correct synchronization of the electoral register’s data, in other words the alterations longed for by the Electoral Commission, happen to be more crucial than ever