IEBC MAKES MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING 2022 GENERAL ELECTIONS

All political parties in the country have up to Tuesday next week to revise and resubmit their nomination rules to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), or risk being barred from taking part in next year’s General Election.

In letters issued to the political parties, IEBC enumerated some of the misses including unclear provisions in the establishment of internal dispute resolution mechanisms, to deal with nominations fallout within parties.

With just under nine months to the 2022 polls, IEBC requires all political parties to submit the rules they will follow in conducting party primaries which often have been chaotic and the cause of several party disputes.

The IEBC, in a statement released on Thursday, said “none of the 89 political parties has fully complied with the requirements.”

IEBC now wants all political parties to revise their nomination rules and resubmit them by Tuesday next week.

Upon submission, IEBC will review the rules and issue compliance certificates to parties that will have complied. IEBC says parties that don’t pass the threshold will be barred from participating in the 2022 General Election.

In a document seen by Citizen TV for instance, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party was faulted on some elements in the structure of the election boards.

ODM has since been urged to “include a provision for the composition of the election board” in the rules.

The party has also been required to define the two-third gender rule in its election boards, to define the term of office for such a board, and the security of tenure of board members, including grounds for removal of the members.

ODM had also missed out on a provision on how the nominations code of conduct will be monitored.

The nomination rules require a proper internal dispute resolution mechanism, to deal with complaints about party primaries.

IEBC wants ODM to clearly state the independence of the appeals tribunal from party leadership and other party institutions, as well as to provide for gender rule compliance in composition of its disputes tribunal.

The UDA party has received similar reviews and is required to redefine the mandate of the national elections board.

And as the road to 2022 picks pace, serving public officers intent on running for political office have under three months to leave their positions. They must resign by February 9 next year, being six months to the election.

By April 9, parties must submit their membership lists, who by law should be the only persons considered at party nominations and generation of party lists.

A week later between April 16-22, parties are expected to conduct the party primaries, following the rules that they are required to resubmit by Tuesday next week.

On May 9, aspirants who will have lost at the party primaries and intend to run for office as independent candidates must resign from their respective parties, being three months to the General Election.

And then between May 30 and June 10, IEBC shall clear presidential candidates to contest in the presidential election.

Other nominations by IEBC shall be held between May 30 and June 10, after which candidates shall be released to go for official campaign season.

The IEBC clearance sessions will be held across the country, at the county headquarters for Woman Rep, Senate and gubernatorial aspirants. Constituency MPs and MCA clearance will be at constituency headquarters.

In the lead-up to the election, IEBC is expected to gazette the general election notice on the March 14.

The election shall be held on August 9, with IEBC required to process the presidential election results and declare a winner within seven days.

By Citizen Digital