Liberians have started the October 10 Presidential and Legislative Elections Biometric Voter Registration exercise within six (6) out of the fifteen Counties.
Kukatonon News toured some centers within Montserrado County; that ascertained views, concerns, and observations on the first day of the first phase of the Registration that runs from March 20 to April 9, 2023.
At the Mac Foundation School Center in Electoral District 14, an elderly woman named Ma Lusu Karna said the process that she went through was smoothly fine something which she encouraged other people to turn out for the exercise.
Kukatonon News gathered that at Mac Foundation Center and other centers started late due to the setup of registration materials, poor network, and inadequate energy flow.
Speaking with Unity Party District 13 Representative Aspirant Cornelia Kruah-Togba admitted that majority of the Centers were opened very late with slow operations and regular pauses in between the issuance of voters’ IDs due to a drop in the network as in the case of Lorpu Zarwu School where registration started at 6 PM and ended at 7 PM with 12 registered voters.
She said at the Center Boakai Konneh School, the solar panel did not work and there was no access to electricity which led to registrants collecting L$100 each to buy gas for the generator.
“We alarmed in the past about the unpreparedness of the NEC and its selected vendor to conduct this process. The NEC and her International partners assured us that they had everything under control but here we are”
Also at the Gabriel Kpoleh Memorial High School Center in Electoral District 13, some of the registrants who admitted to being at the center as early as 6:30 AM described the exercise as low at the beginning but later part of the day changed to be faster.
They commended NEC for the PERSONAL DATA ENTRY which is essential and is helping the exercise to be easier and move faster.
Kukatonon News additionally visited the Salvation Deliverance Academy Center, Doe Community Clinic center, Al-Nasiru Islamic School Center, and the Liberia Community Christian College (LCCC).
