The United States has granted Madagascar $1.2 million to support the preparations for next year’s elections....
Washington envoy Robert T. Yamate, Malagasy electoral agency (Ceni) chief Yves Herinirina Rakotomanana and United Nations representative Violet Kakyomya signed the grant agreement in Antananarivo on Thursday.
The support is the US contribution to the Basket Fund established by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to assist Madagascar’s electoral process.
“The US government is committed to helping the government of Madagascar and Ceni ensure that the 2018 elections are inclusive, impartial and reflect the free will of the Malagasy people,” Mr Yamate said.
The envoy said the funding was made available by the US Agency for International Development (USAid) Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.
“The funds we are announcing today will enhance CENI’s ability to manage all aspects of the electoral process, enabling activities that will bolster transparency and increase citizen confidence in the electoral outcome,” he added.
Mr Rakotomanana said Ceni is conducting a voter registration exercise with a target of listing 10 million voters.
He said an online portal will be made available for voters to verify their names on the ballot list.
“We are also seeking new ways to make the list available via mobile phones,” Mr Rakotomanana added.
Meanwhile, the UNDP organised a two-day workshop this week for politicians with a special focus on ethics and the fight against corruption.
Madagascar elections are slated for December 2018.
