Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take a lesson from the smooth conduct of the just concluded Liberia’s election toward improving future elections.
Bayo Balogun, a member of the Yiaga observer mission for the election, made the call when he presented the preliminary findings of the Election Study and Observation Mission (ESOM) on the Liberian general election in Abuja on Tuesday.
Mr Balogun, also the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, said INEC needed to change the format of its ballot papers to include photographs and names of candidates to improve the quality of electoral preferences and reduce invalidated votes.
“Yiaga Africa’s Election Study and Observation Mission (ESOM) observed the design of the ballot papers used for the Presidential and National Assembly election.
“It contained the party symbol as well as the names and pictures of the candidates Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives candidates.
”The format of the ballot papers provides multiple options for indicating a preferred choice,” he said.
He added that the mission observed that patriotism and national purpose drive citizens’ participation in the electoral process in the Liberian election.
“We noticed an unwavering commitment to transparency over the speedy conclusion of the process, including fidelity to rules with respect to voting rights, among others, and if imbibed, it would help to improve Nigeria’s elections.
“We also noticed that the Liberian National Elections Commission (NEC) displayed high devotion to rules and procedures throughout the elections,” he said.
Mr Balogun also urged the National Assembly to strengthen the electoral laws by making electronic transmission of results mandatory in future elections in Nigeria.
“The National Assembly and INEC should amend the electoral legal framework (Electoral Act and INEC Guidelines) to introduce early voting to allow eligible voters on essential election duties, such as security personnel, INEC staff, election observers, and journalists, to vote at elections,” he said.
Yiaga Africa deployed an election study mission to Liberia to observe the country’s General Election in October.
(NAN)
