ELECAM registers 124,342 new voters.

This was during the Board’s second ordinary session for the year. He said young people aged 20 to 35 account for 84,121 of the new voters registered. 

The Chairperson further stated that beyond the number of registrations, the central challenge faced by ELECAM remains that of continuously improving the quality of the national electoral register.

Dr Enaw Abrams said cleanup, deduplication, data updating, and quality control operations remain at the heart of the Board’s actions as it looks to bypass the challenges.

“The electoral register constitutes the bedrock of any credible electoral process. Its reliability, integrity, exhaustiveness, and security largely determine the confidence of citizens and political actors in electoral consultations,” the Board chairperson stated.

ELECAM, he enthused, is building on “investments made in recent years in modernising biometric and IT infrastructures, strengthening backup systems, and continuously improving cybersecurity mechanisms contribute to consolidating these essential achievements”.

Dr Enow Abrams stated that the institution is building on lessons from its vast consultations with key actors to better prepare for twin polls expected to hold early next year.

He added that other actions are being implemented across the Board to ensure twin elections previewed for February 28, 2027 meets expectations.

Strategic projects, he said, are underway to prepare for the successful organization of the polls with the adjustments involving logistical planning, arrangements for electoral materials, the progressive capacity building of staff and the updating of operational procedures.

He cited the body’s recent participation in the seminar of the network of French-Language electoral competencies, RECEF in Belgium last month as part of such efforts.

Dr Enow Abrams also said focus remains on instructive exchanges between electoral administrations on best practices regarding the organization of polls, electoral risk management, institutional communication, and the consolidation of citizen trust in electoral processes.

ELECAM’s experiences in the presidential poll of October 2025, will help the institution improve on its “operational and organizational systems”.

Decentralising electoral list production

The Chairperson revealed that preliminary information provided to the Board indicates that appreciable progress has been made in the implementation of resolutions especially those linked to the decentralisation of the production of electoral lists.

“In an environment marked by the constant evolution of digital risks and the increased circulation of misinformation, it appears necessary to continue the efforts undertaken to sustainably preserve the integrity and security of electoral information systems,” Dr Enow Abrams stated.

He thanked stakeholders nationwide for constantly accompanying ELECAM. Dr Enow Abrams urged staff of the institution to remain professional and impartial in the discharge of their duties.

“We must pursue the consolidation of our achievements with determination. We must further strengthen citizens' trust in our institutions. We must promote, under all circumstances, the principles of transparency, inclusion, and electoral integrity,” he reassured.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3835 of Thursday July 02, 2026