The United Democratic Party (UDP) has repeatedly called on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to release data from the 2026 supplementary voter registration exercise, raising concerns over the Commission’s failure to make the information available despite several written requests.
The party’s concerns have prompted the IEC to defend its position, insisting that the final voter roll cannot be released until the legally mandated verification process is completed.
Speaking at the Commission’s monthly stakeholders’ press conference on Thursday, October 22, IEC Chairman Joseph Colley rejected suggestions that the electoral body was deliberately withholding information, saying it was acting in accordance with the law.
Mr. Colley explained that voter registers must first be reviewed and signed by magistrates before the Commission can determine the final number of eligible voters. The process was expected to conclude on Friday, October 23.
“After that, the Commission will be directed on which names are to be retained and which are not and will proceed to expunge names in order to determine the exact number of voters on the roll,” he said.
He said the law allows magistrates 60 days to examine the registers and determine which names should be retained or removed. Until that process is completed, he maintained, the IEC cannot release the final voter roll.
The chairman also dismissed claims that the Commission had ignored the UDP’s correspondence, insisting that the party had received a response and was aware of the legal requirements governing the release of voter registration data.
Mr. Colley disclosed that the IEC expected to complete the removal of ineligible names the following week, after which it would publish the final voter figures and the number of polling stations.
He stressed that political parties would receive the final voter roll rather than the provisional register. The completed list will combine the 2021 and 2026 registration records and be distributed electronically to political parties.
“We are managers of the process; we don’t own the process. So we will be as transparent as possible. We will give the same voter roll to all political parties and independent candidates,” he said.
The dispute comes amid heightened scrutiny of the IEC’s preparations for the December presidential election, with the UDP pressing for access to voter registration information and the Commission maintaining that disclosure must follow the completion of the statutory verification process.
