Senegal election: EU wants more transparency

The European Union observer mission in Senegal has urged the Electoral Affairs ministry to demonstrate more transparency in the distribution of voter cards to lend credibility to the February 26 presidential poll.

To do so, the mission has recommended in a statement, the ministry periodically publish the number of voter cards issued.

It further requested the ministry to work with the prefects and sub-prefects to provide information to the public about the number of voter cards issued in their respective localities.

The mission has also called on the national electoral commission and the independent departmental electoral unit to publish information regarding the distribution of the voter cards.

Such information, EU pointed out, would enable the mission and other stakeholders to examine the present stage of the electoral process.

The EU observers arrived in Senegal on January 20 and have since been following the tense electoral process and urging for respect of the constitution, dialogue and transparency.

The mission further urged the Electoral Affairs ministry to provide information on the number of voter cards produced before 2010, in 2010 and in 2011.

The mission said it was interested in the 2011 figure following the revision of the voter registration and those produced in the aftermath of the demarcation of new chiefdoms and polling stations, which the opposition criticised and prompted violence that led to deaths.

Massive fraud

“This is primordial and must be detailed enough,” the statement insisted.

The mission’s intervention stems from agitation by the opposition about the viability of the voter cards and the inability of many illegible people to obtain them.

Before the arrival of the EU observers, several opposition parties had been slugging it out with the ruling party over the refusal by the police stations to issue voter cards to thousands of opposition youths.

Early this week, the local media published some duplicated voter cards which the opposition claimed was just the tip of the iceberg of the massive fraud that President Abdoulaye Wade had planned.

The mission has also called on political parties to deploy their representatives to all the administrative commissions responsible for the distribution of voter cards as stipulated by the electoral code.

To further ensure a transparent poll, the mission has urged the various parties to be present in the polling stations and obtain minutes on the progress of the ballot.

Then Electoral ministry is currently distributing voter cards and encouraging massive turnout on the polling day.

Last week, it announced that up to January 21, 2012 about 5,307,962 voters at home and abroad had registered to elect a president from among 14 candidates.

President Wade has vowed to win during the first round.