Title: “Submission of candidacies for the election of national deputies: the CENI grants an extension”
Introduction :
The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) recently announced that it has decided to grant a 7-day extension for the submission of candidacies for the election of national deputies in July 2023. This decision comes after a meeting of the plenary of the CENI, which identified several challenges that stakeholders face in putting together their applications. In this article, we will take a closer look at this extension and the reasons behind this decision.
The challenges of applying:
During the first two weeks of the initial deadline, the reception and application processing offices (BRTC) noticed a lack of enthusiasm on the part of political parties and groups. Many political actors preferred to wait until the last week to finalize and submit their candidate lists. The CENI has identified several factors that contributed to these difficulties, including the constitution of application files, logistical problems, communication and transmission of proof of payment of filing fees.
An extension to facilitate the process:
In an effort to facilitate the filing of candidacies and overcome the obstacles encountered, the CENI has proposed a measure allowing candidates to scan the necessary forms and send them electronically to their proxies in each electoral district. Only academic titles require compliant certification.
A welcome decision:
This extension of the period for submitting applications has been welcomed by the political actors who will benefit from these additional days to finalize their lists and ensure that all the required documents are in order. This will also allow for greater accessibility to applicants who face logistical or communication issues.
Conclusion :
The extension granted by the CENI for the submission of candidacies for the election of national deputies in July 2023 is a positive measure which aims to facilitate the process for political actors. By giving additional time and offering to digitize the forms, the CENI hopes to overcome the challenges applicants face. It remains to be seen how this extension will affect the conduct of the election and whether it will allow for a wider participation of political actors.