REGISTRATION of new voters should be an ongoing exercise rather than being a once-in-every-four-years exercise.
Member of Parliament for Central Guadalcanal and Minister of Communication & Aviation Peter Shanel Agovaka made the comments when contributing to the debate on The Constitution (Amendment) (Candidacy Disqualification) Bill 2023 last week. The Bill was passed by a majority vote.
During the debate, MP Agovaka suggested that registration of eligible voters should be an ongoing exercise throughout the year to allow new voters to sign up once they turn 18 years old.
“Registration should not be confined to time frame, but it should enable our citizens to register when they turn 18.”
“Registration should not be limited to once in a every four years. But should be open throughout the year.
“It should not be about time but about getting people registered and prepared before an election comes,” he said.
There were concerns raised by some of the MPs that many of the eligible voters could not register due to certain issues and politics involved during the registration exercise.
Meanwhile, the Constitution (Amendment) (Candidacy Disqualification) Bill 2023 which has been duly passed by Parliament is basically to disqualify a candidate from contesting a Parliamentary seat, Provincial Assembly seat and Honiara City Council seat simultaneously.
The bill, on the other hand, facilitates the holding of simultaneous elections for National Parliament, Provincial Assemblies and Honiara City Council.
By MOFFAT MAMU
