No 'ghost voters' found in photo voter list: UNDP
Friday, 26 December 2008
Bangladesh's photo-based voter list has received an "excellent rating" from an international audit team, which concluded that the list had a "high degree of accuracy" and "no 'ghost voters' were found on the 2008 photo voters list," says UNDP, reports bdnews24.com.
The UNDP-commissioned audit also reportedly found more than 99 per cent of respondents had confidence in the accuracy of the computerised photo voter list that included more than 80 million voters.
"As Bangladesh gears up for its first parliamentary elections in seven years, a nationwide independent audit of the country's new digital voter list has concluded that all names on the roll are legitimate voters and nearly all eligible voters are on the list," said a statement of UNDP Dhaka.
Conducted by Washington-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the audit consisted of two nationwide surveys sampling nearly 17,000 individuals of voting age across the country.
"The upcoming election represents an historic opportunity for Bangladesh in re-establishing democracy. We are pleased that the current voter list has passed the scrutiny of an independent team of auditors because a credible voter list is an essential ingredient for all free and fair elections," says Renata Dessallien, UN resident coordinator in Dhaka.
The audit concluded that "in comparison with assessment of voter lists created during previous voter registration efforts in Bangladesh, the voter list for the December 2008 election has effectively registered the universe of eligible voters in Bangladesh, and accomplished this with a great deal of accuracy in capturing the particulars for individual voters."
The UNDP-commissioned audit also reportedly found more than 99 per cent of respondents had confidence in the accuracy of the computerised photo voter list that included more than 80 million voters.
"As Bangladesh gears up for its first parliamentary elections in seven years, a nationwide independent audit of the country's new digital voter list has concluded that all names on the roll are legitimate voters and nearly all eligible voters are on the list," said a statement of UNDP Dhaka.
Conducted by Washington-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the audit consisted of two nationwide surveys sampling nearly 17,000 individuals of voting age across the country.
"The upcoming election represents an historic opportunity for Bangladesh in re-establishing democracy. We are pleased that the current voter list has passed the scrutiny of an independent team of auditors because a credible voter list is an essential ingredient for all free and fair elections," says Renata Dessallien, UN resident coordinator in Dhaka.
The audit concluded that "in comparison with assessment of voter lists created during previous voter registration efforts in Bangladesh, the voter list for the December 2008 election has effectively registered the universe of eligible voters in Bangladesh, and accomplished this with a great deal of accuracy in capturing the particulars for individual voters."