Mujoro 'excited' about DRC EVMs
With elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) slated for 23 December, Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) chief electoral officer Theo Mujuro is currently in that country as part of an observer mission.
“I have a particular interest in the voting technology being introduced here in the upcoming elections.
“The DRC will use a voting technology that combines both a paper trail and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) functionalities.
“I am excited to see how their machines will perform,” Mujoro said. He is part of the Electoral Commissions Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Namibia's use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) without a verifiable paper trail is set to once again become a contentious issue ahead of next year's general election.
The DRC, with a population of about 80 million, will finally head to the polls this Sunday to elect a new leader following years of delays. This represents a watershed moment for the nation that last voted for a democratic leader in 1960, when it gained independence from Belgium.
Despite Mujoro's optimism, international observers and opposition leaders have expressed concern over the use of the new electronic voting system, saying it is more vulnerable to vote-rigging than traditional ballots, Al Jazeera reported.
Electoral officials in the DRC, however, dismissed the criticism, saying the use of the 106 000 South Korean-manufactured touchscreen voting machines was meant to slash both election costs and the waiting period for results.
A fire has destroyed much of an election commission warehouse in Kinshasa as tensions rise in the DRC. The fire damaged thousands of new voting machines and has stoked fears that the poll will be undermined by logistic challenges and fraud, The Guardian reported this week.
Barnabé Kikaya bin Karubi, a presidential adviser, blamed unidentified “criminals” for the blaze, which destroyed about 7 000 of the 10 000 voting machines due to be used in the capital, Kinshasa, but said preparations for the 23 December election were continuing.
Congolese will choose between opposition favourite Martin Fayulu and Joseph Kabila loyalist Emmanuel Shadary.
Fayulu is leading a coalition of opposition parties, while Shadary, a former interior minister, is backed by the ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy.
OGONE TLHAGE
“I have a particular interest in the voting technology being introduced here in the upcoming elections.
“The DRC will use a voting technology that combines both a paper trail and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) functionalities.
“I am excited to see how their machines will perform,” Mujoro said. He is part of the Electoral Commissions Forum of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Namibia's use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) without a verifiable paper trail is set to once again become a contentious issue ahead of next year's general election.
The DRC, with a population of about 80 million, will finally head to the polls this Sunday to elect a new leader following years of delays. This represents a watershed moment for the nation that last voted for a democratic leader in 1960, when it gained independence from Belgium.
Despite Mujoro's optimism, international observers and opposition leaders have expressed concern over the use of the new electronic voting system, saying it is more vulnerable to vote-rigging than traditional ballots, Al Jazeera reported.
Electoral officials in the DRC, however, dismissed the criticism, saying the use of the 106 000 South Korean-manufactured touchscreen voting machines was meant to slash both election costs and the waiting period for results.
A fire has destroyed much of an election commission warehouse in Kinshasa as tensions rise in the DRC. The fire damaged thousands of new voting machines and has stoked fears that the poll will be undermined by logistic challenges and fraud, The Guardian reported this week.
Barnabé Kikaya bin Karubi, a presidential adviser, blamed unidentified “criminals” for the blaze, which destroyed about 7 000 of the 10 000 voting machines due to be used in the capital, Kinshasa, but said preparations for the 23 December election were continuing.
Congolese will choose between opposition favourite Martin Fayulu and Joseph Kabila loyalist Emmanuel Shadary.
Fayulu is leading a coalition of opposition parties, while Shadary, a former interior minister, is backed by the ruling People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy.
OGONE TLHAGE
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