By M.A. Egge
It has been agreed that the IRIS biometric Voter Verification system would be used in the forthcoming presidential and political parties elections come November 13th 2024, with its use confined to only the six major towns in the country.
The agreement comes in the wake of an earlier consensus by the electoral stakeholders to put the kits in trial tests across the country and ultimately reach a decision thereafter after reviewing its viability in the electioneering process.
the latest consensus there seals the agreement in a meeting held on Thursday at the headquarters of the National Elections Commission (NEC) that brought all the concerned stakeholders together.
The completion of the trials operation of the IRIS-BVVS Voter Verification System implemented by the NEC was random in various locations across the country, most notably in four (4) polling stations namely Ara-garanuug (Boorama), El-hume (Odweyne), Gedi-Haan (Burao), and the University of Hargeisa.
The meeting saw in-depth review of the viability of the process and the leaders of the various political parties, organizations, the NEC and others delved into its pros and cons before reaching the agreement to put the system in use only at the designated locations that they collectively specified.