The CENI (Independent National Electoral Commission) held a press conference on July 21, 2023 at its headquarters in Alarobia Antananarivo, to present the final report concerning the number of voters registered on the electoral list.
This means that they have completed the voter registration process and prepared a comprehensive report containing all relevant information regarding those registered and eligible to vote in the upcoming elections. During this press conference, CENI members announced key figures such as the total number of registered voters, the distribution by age, gender, region and other demographic criteria, as well as statistics on the participation rate.
They also provided information on any steps taken to ensure the integrity of the registration process and to ensure that the voters list is accurate and up-to-date. This presentation and publication of the final report of the electoral list is a crucial step before any election, as it allows citizens to check if they are correctly registered to be ready to participate in future votes. This also contributes to enhancing the transparency and credibility of the electoral process.
CENI President Dama Arsene Andrianarisedo stressed that all actors involved in the electoral process have duties and responsibilities regarding the counting of elections. He said that the revision of the electoral list is in accordance with the law. The CENI is responsible for ensuring the security of the election and the accuracy of the information of all voters registered on the electoral list, through rigorous inspections and approvals.
The objective is to avoid that nr names are repeated in the voters list. According to the report published by the CENI, 11,014,836 citizens are registered on the electoral lists, after a complete reform and the finalization of the national electoral register. This represents an increase of 293,902 voters over the previous year, which had 10,749,934 registered voters. Of the registered voters in 2023, 10,749,934 were women, while 51.46% (or 81.25% of the total) were men.
The initial goal of the CENI was to have more than 13,500,000 registered voters, but this number was not reached. The last Annual review of the Electoral lists (RALE) included 1,924,648 citizens, but there were people – perhaps new ID card holders or people who had reached the age of majority – who were not included in this update. The number of people not included in the RALE amounts to 624,522.
The president of the CENI finally declared that from this moment, there will be no more registration of new people on the electoral rolls. This, in order to guarantee the integrity of the elections in Madagascar.
Andry Rakotonirainy
