SOUTHEASTERN LIBERIA CUT-OFF FROM VRU EXERCISE—As NEC cites Logistical Issues and Bad Roads
By: Staff Writer
Liberia-AUGUST 22, 2020-WTV-News: On August 20, 2020 the National Elections Commission (NEC) informed the public, especially eligible voters that the 2020 Voter Roll Update (VRU) will start on Friday, September 11, 2020 instead of September 1, 2020.
The process will run for 15 days (September 11-25, 2020), but said date was unattainable due to logistics and bad road conditions to enable NEC VRU Team move into different areas in the South East where the VRU exercise is expected to take place.
NEC Chairperson, Davidetta Browne Lansanah revealed in a news conference Friday, recently, that “the Commission was unable to carry out the exercise in most of the centers as scheduled for September 11, 2020, due to logistical problem couple with the bad road to enable the NEC to deploy its VRU Team to the different centers”.
She mentioned that some of the cars delivering the VRU materials especially those for the South East had been stuck in the mud for days thus making it difficult to commence the exercise in that part of the Country.
The NEC through its chairperson Lansanah apologized for the inconvenience and assured citizens in those areas that the team will be at their centers in the soonest possible time.
Despite this challenge, Madam Lansanah assured all Liberians that ‘Voters Roll Update’ will be conducted in every county for fifteen days with each team visiting a center for three days and moving on to another center as previously stated by the commission.
She further bewailed “The NEC is doing everything humanly possible to deliver those materials in the shortest possible time. The NEC assures all Liberians of the voter rolls update will be conducted in every county for the fifteen days with each team visiting a center for three days and moving on to another center.”
“In this regard, the magistrates of elections will be instructed to publicize the new date for the affected areas. Logistical preparation for any giving process has its own challenges. These challenges come during this critical period of our nation’s history when for the first time the VRU exercise is being done in the heat of the rainy season,” she added.
Meanwhile, the NEC Chair cautioned citizens to observe all COVID-19 prevention protocols as they go to the VRU centers.
Similarly; the commission also reminded the public that the VRU process will be mobile, meaning the commission’s team of registrars will move in sequence from one center to another within the 15 days of the exercise. The NEC emphasizes that each team will spend only three days at each of the 2080 registration centers across the country. Each team will cover a maximum of four centers; a team will be led by a supervisor.
