THUR, JUNE 13 2019-theG&BJournal-Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan told world leaders at the international leadership conference last weekend in Johannesburg, South Africa that he remains convinced that full automation is the way to future elections in Africa. I am optimistic that Africa will ultimately cue into this choice.
He believes that technology is key to building confidence in the electoral process.
‘’As technology continues to evolve, electoral processes are being retooled globally in tune with the times. That is why some countries are adopting electronic voting as the system of choice,’’ Jonathan added at the gathering that includes top executives of the Universal Peace Federation (UPF).
In countries where decision is yet to be taken on full electronic voting, automation has taken over some sensitive aspects of the process, like in Nigeria where card readers have already been deployed to enhance efficiency of voter registration and accreditation during the voting process.
‘’Despite the fact some people are still skeptical about its reliability, I remain convinced that full automation is the way to future elections. I am optimistic that Africa will ultimately cue into this choice,’’ Jonathan said.
Jonathan also spoke about building political and electoral systems that should give people hope and confidence. He said when African countries establish a credible system it will be easier to deploy technology when the time eventually comes for full electronic voting.
‘’What is obvious is that the credibility and legitimacy of electoral processes are, to a great deal, determined by the competence, impartiality and independence of electoral management bodies (EMBs).’’
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