In a significant lead-up to the political season’s peak, the Electoral Commission (EC) will accept nominations of candidates for this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections from September 9 to September 13.
On September 23, 2024, votes for the presidential ballot will be cast; on September 24, 2024, votes for the legislature will be cast.
In addition, if all goes as planned, the EC hopes to release the results of the 2024 presidential election three days after the polls close.
According to the EC’s 2024 general election schedule, they will replace lost voter ID cards across the country starting on May 30, 2024, and hold voter registration exercises from May 7 to May 27, 2024.
However, a 56-day public education campaign about the exercise will take place ahead of the registration exercise, from April 1 to May 26, 2024.
According to the schedule, the EC plans to hold an exhibition of the voter register from July 15 to 24, 2024, and submit the provisional voters’ register to the political parties between July 9 and July 18, 2024.
The final voter register is expected to be submitted to the political parties between August 30 and September 5, 2024.
Sources within the EC said this exercise was intended to ensure that all stakeholders understood and appreciated the efforts towards a free and fair electoral process to eliminate any tendencies for suspicion and mistrust.
The exercise, the source said, would be in line with the EC’s mandate to ensure and enhance open and transparent operations of the electoral processes.
The sources at the EC told the Daily Graphic that the EC would be holding its Special Voting for selected professionals on December 2, five days before the main polls.
It will be opened for security agencies and accredited media practitioners who will be performing duties during election day on December 7, 2024.
All the dates are, however, subject to review, the sources indicated to the Daily Graphic.
The sources said although there was no law requiring the EC to declare the results within a specified period, the EC intended to ensure that it would be able to declare the presidential results within a maximum of three days.
The sources indicated that the Regional Collation Centres would be maintained to announce the results at the regional level.
SOURCE: Graphicsonline
