11 Jun 2002

Vanuatu observers say electoral process needs to be changed

4:21 pm on 11 June 2002

The Elections Observer Group in Vanuatu say the government needs to change the way elections are run because the process is vulnerable to corruption.

Yvette Sam, a member of the EOG, says people were free to go to the elections but it's difficult to tell if the most recent polls were fair because there are fundamental flaws in the electoral roll.

Ms Sam says its difficult to check on voters and people know that.

"We don't oblige this person to have the birth-certificate or identity cards so that's why it is vulnerable, because - also, the electoral commission and the electoral office cannot check each people who come to apply for the electoral card."

The Elections Observer group is to release a hard hitting report to the Electoral Commission which says the roll needs to be computerised and that the government needs to reconsider existing legislation.