Monday, March 28, 2011

Nigeria: Political Parties Disagree Over Open Ballot

Leadership
24 March 2011

Nigeria: Political Parties Disagree Over Open Ballot

Abuja — It lasted five hours. Party chiefs and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) met for the fifth and final time before the general elections scheduled to commence on April 2. Arguably, the most contentious issue bordered on INEC's adoption of the modified open ballot system. Parties were sharply divided into two on its adoption or abandonment.

The opposing parties hinged their argument on the reason that the new voting system is cumbersome and time- wasting.

Going by the released guidelines, eligible voters are expected to be present for accreditation from 8am to 12 noon. Voting starts at 12:30pm and ends when the last person on the queue votes.

Citing the successful experiment in the Delta rerun and previous use in the 1993 elections, INEC said there was no going back on the new voting system

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