Over 3,400 applications submitted for Local Council and WDC Elections

More than 3,400 forms  have been submitted to the Elections Commission (EC) to contest in the upcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections.

The Commission announced today that as of yesterday, 1,865 forms were received for the Local Council elections scheduled for April 4. Out of these, the candidacies of 1,556 individuals were accepted, while 309 were rejected.

According to the EC, 286 of those whose applications were initially rejected have since resubmitted their forms for the council elections.

For the Women’s Development Committee elections, the EC has accepted the candidacies of 1,548 individuals, while 216 were rejected. Among those rejected, 192 individuals have already resubmitted their forms.

Commission noted that the most common reasons for the rejection of candidacies include the failure to submit a lifetime criminal and debt record, the lack of detailed information regarding any existing crimes or debts, and the failure to provide the required criminal record clearance from the Correctional Service.

The window for submitting applications to contest in these elections opened on the 17th of this month and is set to expire tomorrow at 5:30 PM.

Last week, the opposition MDP expressed concern over the short duration provided by the Elections Commission for candidates to apply. The party stated that the timeframe is inadequate, especially considering the several days required to clear records and complete other necessary documentation from various state institutions.