Nigeria says 53 million registered to vote so far
Source: Reuters
(Adds extension of registration, paragraph 5) By Estelle Shirbon ABUJA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - An estimated 53 million Nigerians have registered to vote in April elections and that figure will rise after full results of the registration process are collated, the head of the electoral commission said on Tuesday. Nigerians have lined up for hours at registration posts in the last few days as they rush to register and ensure they can vote in April polls that should mark Nigeria's first democratic transition from one civilian government to another. "We have 53 million registered voters so far and we have not finished counting," said Maurice Iwu, head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). About 35 million people voted in the last presidential election in 2003 and the INEC had said it expected to register 70 million voters for this year's poll. The registration process initially billed to end on Tuesday, was extended for a second time to Friday following widespread complaints that thousands of eligible voters had not registered. The registration process was first extended by two months after it got off to a slow start in October because of a dearth of registration machines and problems operating them. INEC opted to use machines that store voters' thumbprints and headshots in an effort to reduce fraud on polling day, but the choice has been controversial. The machines' batteries require recharging every few hours and with power cuts a daily problem and generators not always available, INEC officials on the ground have said they were not always able to recharge them when they needed to. Iwu defended the choice of the machines, saying they offered other advantages such as a computerised register that would be easy to update for future elections. "Whatever headaches we are having now, it is worth it for the gains we are getting not only for April 2007 but for future elections," Iwu told a meeting between INEC and journalists. The registration process has been widely criticised as too slow and disorganised, and many Nigerians complained they had been unable to register. On Tuesday, some posts closed early for lack of batteries or other supplies despite long queues. LAST MINUTE Iwu said voters should not have left registering so late. "Nigerians always wait until the last minute. Two weeks ago our people were sitting idle and now you see the situation," he told reporters. The hitches with the registration process have caused many Nigerians to doubt INEC's preparedness for the election itself, but Iwu sought to reassure them. "(We make) a cardinal promise that all votes will count. We intend to do our utmost to deliver free and fair elections," he said. The last elections, in 2003, were marred by widespread political violence and vote rigging, according to the U.S. State Department. Richard Gozney, the British ambassador to Nigeria, said the international community would be watching closely. "This is the test. Will the majority of Nigerians feel that yes, the person who is being inaugurated as president got more votes than anyone else?" he said, calling for the elections to be transparent, fair, and free from violence and intimidation. "We and the other Europeans hope to have as many observers as possible on the ground, observing with sympathy but observing quite closely and drawing their conclusions from what they will see on those two important days in April," he said. The European Union is considering sending a 100-strong observer mission to Nigeria. Diplomatic sources said it is very likely to approve the plan.
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