After closely following the voting operations during last Sunday’s legislative elections, via around a hundred observers deployed across the national territory, Wanep Senegal produced a series of recommendations for a better organization of the vote. By Amadou MBODJI –
“The vote was not at all easy for voters with the presence of 41 lists on the table. Some had difficulty finding the ballot with which to vote, making others dizzy. We heard certain parties or coalitions complaining about the quality of the printing of their ballots,” reported observers from Wanep Senegal, who were deployed to supervise last Sunday’s legislative elections. And to overcome all these difficulties, this national entity of the West African Peacebuilding Network has formulated a series of recommendations. Among other things, Wanep Senegal suggests “ensuring the implementation of the provisions relating to the role of political parties as provided for in the 2016 constitutional revision, adopting the format of the single ballot to reduce costs and avoid the shortcomings noted on the quality of the prints. To make the next election more “inclusive”, observers recommend “the introduction of the Braille method, smart glasses, etc.”. To the General Directorate of Elections, Wanep Senegal recommends “strengthening communication and awareness on the different stages of voting, improving the system”.
Wanep Senegal deployed 100 observers in 42 of the 46 departments of Senegal assessed as potential areas at risk of electoral violence.
“These observers visited 708 polling stations and submitted 1007 reports. The Monitoring Unit is responsible for coordinating the observation mission and receives information from its observers allowing it to make regular updates throughout the day on the progress of the vote.
The analysis of the data on the conduct of the ballot showed that the vote generally went well,” according to Wanep.
However, minor incidents, underlines the organization, were reported, calling for recommendations to stakeholders on the conduct of the vote, compliance with closing and counting procedures.
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