27 Jun 2011

Solomon Islands fails to uphold quality voters registration - EU

7:09 pm on 27 June 2011

A report from the European Union Electoral Expert Mission has identified the extreme poor quality of the voters' register as the main shortcoming in Solomon Islands 2010 general election.

Solomon Star News says the newly released report highlight that the current registration system is unreliable.

Experts say unless there's significant reform, it'll be impossible for the Electoral Commission to improve the accuracy of its register.

The report says the register is also highly inflated.

It says multiple registrations and limited deletions of deceased citizens have caused the inflation.

The report also states that the system fails to give the electoral office the means to identify people.

The government says correcting the voter registration is a priority ahead of the 2014 elections, with the aim of introducing a totally new system by mid 2013.