“In these departments, only 45,056 cards were distributed, or 14.20% out of a total of 317, 197” Babacar Fall, director general of GRADEC told a press conference as he shared with the public the outcome of the monitoring and evaluation tour on the distribution of voters’ cards conducted from 23rd January to 12 February, 2019.
These figures are at odds with those issued by the administrative authorities, according to which, from 25 January to 1st February, 2019, 242,902 voters’ cards were yet to be withdrawn.
Babacar Fall pointed out that nearly one million two hundred thousand voter cards resulting from the redrafting of the electoral register have been distributed outside any supervision of the National Independent Electoral Commission (CENA) in the period running from late November 2017 to 10 January, 2019.
This calls into question, according to him, the rules of transparency and the principle of separation of powers in the organization and functioning of the electoral system following the amendment of Article L.54 of the Electoral Code.
“The chain of production, processing and distribution of cards continues to be an important challenge of vulnerability of the Senegalese electoral system,” the GRADEC CEO added, pointing out that the analysis of malfunctions in the distribution of cards shows the lack of a subsequent, reliable and effective information system to enlighten voters.
Fall therefore advocated for the use of representatives of political parties like the other members of the card distribution commissions in order to make up for their absence in these administrative entities.