By M.A. Egge
The ongoing national electoral process of voter registration is to kick off on the coming Saturday, the 16th of July 2016 in Sanaag region.
This was confirmed by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) spokesman Mr. Said Ali Muse who happens to be one of the seven NEC commissioners.
Spokesman Muse who spoke yesterday evening on phone with our sister paper Dawan reporter Khadar Abdi Muse said that his commission was in the last stages of preparation and just about ready to kick off the exercise, come Saturday.
He said that there were 196 polling centres in the region which is scheduled to cover all the districts.
Mr. Muse elaborated the fact that each polling centre was to have 9 polling clerks (heads inclusive) hence backed by two vehicles to cater for the transportation-(one for the technical appliances and the other for the staff).
He said that the NEC had already toured all the 196 polling stations and that the internet arial connections were already in place having been installed by the local telecommunications giant Telesom.
Mr. Muse explained that the public awareness and dissemination was already catered for with four local NGOs doing the services; one of the NGOs is a handicap oriented one.
He said that they have already made several consultations with local leaders and elders from the concerned districts and they addressed issues ranging from mobilization of the exercise, security concerns and to coordination at all levels.
The NEC spokesman was candid enough to point out that the region was both vast with rough hilly terrains and some security concerns hence was different from the other parts of the country that the exercise has already taken place.
He however interjected that the government was at hand to address the issues and that safety nets were in place.
He expressed the fact that the NEC services was there to see that no probable voter was to be left out without being registered.
Mr. Muse said that the raising of the veil for the exercise would be held on Wednesday, thus formally kicking off of the exercise. Thursday and Friday will see the dispatching of the teams to the field and practical registration process will commence on Saturday.