IPNEWS-Monrovia: The National Elections Commission, NEC, on Monday, March 20, 2023 began the long-awaited voters\u2019 registration exercise, with enormous challenges ranging from power outages, malfunctioned biometric machines to some NEC\u2019s staff inability or little knowledge to operate the machines.<\/p>\n

Hundreds of citizens, who had turned out to register waited for several hours in the queues at many registration centers either because the NEC staff were late or struggling with the biometric registration machines to get the work started.<\/p>\n

On the Capitol Hill campus of the University of Liberia, the process was halted for several hours due to power outage.<\/p>\n

An Independent Probe Newspaper reporter, who toured several centers said the registration process went on at a snail pace apparently due to the elections workers\u2019 inability to effectively operate the biometric registration machines.<\/p>\n

The IPNEWS reporter said many of the registrars took nearly thirty minutes to have one person registered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of us have been standing in the queues since five this morning and its almost ten o-clock, but we are not registered yet,\u201d<\/em> remarked some of the people in the queues.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can\u2019t operate the machine, your talk and stop wasting our time,\u201d<\/em> others also remarked as they run out of patience.<\/p>\n

Turnout was also very poor in many areas perhaps because people are waiting for the last days or are not just prepared to register now due to other engagements.<\/p>\n

Some observers say turnout on the first day of the voters\u2019 registration exercise was low and may likely remain low if the National Elections Commission fails to do more public awareness about the exercise.<\/p>\n

In the main time, many aspirants for the Legislature have placarded in their respective constituencies’ posters with their photos and messages encouraging all citizens of voting age to register to vote in the November 10, 2023, legislative and presidential elections.<\/p>\n

There is also an audio recording of President George Weah, who is seeking a second term of office, urging all Liberians to register to vote.<\/p>\n

The President\u2019s audio recording is being played on selected radio stations across the Country.<\/p>\n

It however still remains unclear as to whether the Liberian Government through Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has made available the thirty-three million United States Dollars the electoral commission needs to conduct the pending elections.<\/p>\n

NEC\u2019s Chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lansanah told stakeholders, including the media that of the thirty-three Million Dollars, the Government had only given the Commission a check of four million dollars.<\/p>\n

There has so far been no update from the electoral commission on whether or not the Government has made full payment.<\/p>\n

Madam Brown-Lansanah has said the late disbursement of funds for elections has always put the Commission in a tight position in doing its work.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the biometric voters\u2019 registration exercise is continuing across the Country, but with persistent challenges such as NEC staff\u2019s late arrival or little knowledge to operate the biometric registration machines. Writes: David Nagbe Targbe<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IPNEWS-Monrovia: The National Elections Commission, NEC, on Monday, March 20, 2023 began the long-awaited voters\u2019 registration exercise, with enormous challenges ranging from power outages, malfunctioned biometric machines to some NEC\u2019s staff inability or little knowledge to operate the machines. Hundreds of citizens, who had turned out to register waited for several hours in the queues …<\/p>\n

VOTERS\u2019 REGISTRATION PROCESS FACES HITCHES<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,652,4,5,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elections","category-governance","category-news","category-politics","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"\n