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Democracy News
Amendment to Electoral Law Could Impact Nigerian Elections
August 24, 2010
By: Randi Zung | Printer Friendly
On August 17, news outlet AllAfrica reported that Nigeria’s National Assembly had approved an amendment that may significantly impact the country’s upcoming 2011 elections. The amendment to the Electoral Act, Section 89 (g), bars all government officials and presidential appointees from voting in primary elections. The bill is currently pending approval from President Goodluck Jonathan.
If the new law is passed, Nigeria’s next election could drastically change the country’s political landscape. Although Jonathan has not yet indicated whether he will run in the upcoming election, if he does, the new law would prevent a large number of his supporters from voting for him. According to current estimates, Jonathan could stand to lose at least 2,000 votes if the bill is signed into law. Many political advisers from Jonathan’s camp have reportedly urged him to block the bill and deal with the consequences later. After gaining control of the country in February 2010, Jonathan pledged to fight corruption, promote good governance, and push for electoral reform.
The date of the hotly anticipated 2011 election also hinges on the bill’s passage. According to current procedure, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot announce election dates until after the president has signed the bill. Voice of America reported that INEC chairman Attahiru Jega stated, “We are working on an electoral timetable and preparing comprehensive guidelines for voters, political parties, security agencies, election observers, as well as our own INEC staff for the elections. However, the uncertainties about the legal framework for the conduct of the elections have constrained our preparations.” In addition to waiting for the bill’s passage, INEC must also work to accommodate the new election date. In July 2010, Nigerian lawmakers changed the constitution in order to call elections four months earlier than originally scheduled. Elections which were supposed to take place in April 2011, will now take place in January 2011.
In addition to the passage of the bill, the question of whether Jonathan will run in the election has yet to be determined. If Jonathan runs in the election, it will disrupt the unspoken power-sharing agreement between the Northern and the Southern parts of the country. According to the agreement, selected candidates for the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – the party which has ruled the country for nearly thirty years – are never chosen from the same region for two successive terms, meaning the rotation switches back and forth between the predominantly Muslim North and the mostly Christian South. If the country decides to abide by the candidate rotation agreement, the next PDP candidate will be a Northerner. Jonathan, who is from the South, could further disrupt the political climate by announcing his candidacy.
Following the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua in May 2010, Jonathan formally assumed presidential office. Prior to Yar'Adua’s death, Jonathan was originally the country’s vice-president, and then was appointed as Acting President after Yar'Adua took a lengthy medical leave of absence. Yar'Adua originally took office in May 2007, following an election that was also deemed fraudulent by the international community.
For previous news of Nigeria, please see:
http://ccd21.org/news/africa/nigeria_president_dead.html
Sources:
Voice of America - Nigerian Electoral Act Sets Timetable for Vote
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