General elections 2020 |14 October 2020
How much did it cost to print the ballot papers?
With the presidential and parliamentary elections around the corner, information surrounding various election-related matters is hard to come by as the media struggle to get those from the Electoral Commission of Seychelles.
While the atmosphere in the country is generally calm, other than the PPBs (PPB (party political broadcasts), voters are getting very little education as to the voting process compared to past elections where voter education spots inundated the media.
For the past two days Seychelles NATION has been trying to get the detailed cost to print ballot papers abroad as we had been informed that it would be much cheaper. Altogether 75,900 ballot papers for the presidential election and 75,900 for the National Assembly election were printed in Dubai. But information from the Electoral Commission Seychelles office has not been forthcoming as to how much they amounted to as the spokesperson there informed us that the chief electoral officer is in quarantine and without her go-ahead no information will be released to the media.
Seychelles NATION also wanted the Electoral Commission’s comments as to whether it was legal to have the ‘Danny Out Election Now’ posters erected next to election candidate posters around the country. There again no information has been forthcoming even though the spokesperson informed us that Salina Sinon, the senior legal advisor at the EC, has already pronounced herself on the matter.
Talking to the department of transport who has the mandate to have any posters erected illegally removed if they are called to do so, Road Transport Commissioner Wilson Denis said weeks back as soon as they noticed the posters going up they alerted the Electoral Commission in writing but up until now the commission has not responded.
He said the department of transport is awaiting their advice as to what action to take.
Meanwhile, a call to the chief electoral officer confirmed that she has received requests to release these information but she said she is still working on them before getting back to us.
In the meantime, the media is being constantly called upon to inform the public with credible information on a timely basis.
Marie-Anne Lepathy