Voter registration weekend has been postponed, by the Electoral Commission, for two weeks due to the third wave of Covid-19 infections currently ravaging the country.
During a meeting on Wednesday (7 July), the commission agreed to reschedule the voter registration weekend from 17-18 July to the weekend of 31 July-1 August.
It said that the decision was made after reviewing the rate of infections and hospitalizations over the last seven days and the impact this would have on preparations for the registration weekend.
Concerns raised by political parties and warnings from health officials were also taken into consideration when this decision was made.
Health experts warned that the current third wave of infections will likely persist until at least the end of the month.
“Taking into consideration the various factors including the constitutional timeframe which requires the elections to be held before 1 November 2021 and the minimum period required for the election timetable, the commission resolved to postpone the voter registration weekend to the latest possible date which is 31 July – 1 August.”
“The two-week postponement will have a knock-on effect on certain dates and activities associated with the proclamation and election including delaying proclamation by four days until 6 August.”
However the commission is positive that successful elections can still be held within a 82 day time frame instead of the original 86 day time frame.
Sources: Business Tech, Daily Star
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