LOBAMBA – There is no need for people to sponsor others with transportation to reach registration venues.
This comes after people lodged complaints that the voter registration gave serving Members of Parliament (MPs) an opportunity to campaign for votes because they had a financial muscle and capacity to provide transport during the stage of the elections. Some people suggested that Parliament should be dissolved before the registration phase. To this, Bhembe said the law was specific about when Parliament should be dissolved. He stated that this year, the registration had been made to be extra flexible, therefore, there was no need for people to be transported to voting stations.
Registration
He added that even though there were registration stations provided by EBC, voters still had the opportunity to contact the EBC and ask that voting stations be moved closer to them. “Our registration stations and officers are very flexible, they can come wherever the people are,” he said. The officer said if a person wanted to provide transport to a registration point, they could go through the traditional structures, though such was not necessary. He urged emaSwati to take advantage of the flexibility provision, because it would save them from being accused of campaigning before the official time. “We are also looking at exploring the door-to-door registration too,” he said. On another note, he said the flexibility of the registration would also allow minority groups, such as widows and those with disabilities, to participate in the registration process.
