EC extends form submission hours for election instead extending application window

Elections Commission (EC) on Wednesday extended the form submission hours for candidacy applications for the upcoming local council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections, contrary to a call made earlier in the day by the main opposition MDP to extend the application window.

In an announcement on the government gazette on Wednesday, EC said it has extended the online form submission hours for candidacy applications for the upcoming local council and WDC elections by two hours.

As such, starting today, forms can be submitted between 8:30am and 17:30pm on all days except Friday, where forms can be submitted between 15:30pm and 20:00pm.

EC opened candidacy applications for the Local Council and WDC elections scheduled for April 4^th on Saturday with a deadline set for 15:30pm on February 1^st.

MDP has raised concerns that the candidacy application period is “too short,” noting that obtaining criminal and debt clearance from government authorities is time-consuming. It has also raised concerns over applications being limited to online submissions. The party has emphasized that the existing procedure can deny prospective candidates the chance to contest the election and infringe on their electoral rights.

MDP has accused the government of attempting to influence the election and in this trajectory, has alleged that the ruling PNC can access EC’s portal and view information available on the platform. These allegations have been denied by the elections body.