Party regulations amended to enable eFaas-based membership
The amendment on Thursday follows reports of individuals being registered as party members without their knowledge through falsified forms.
The regulation governing political parties has been amended to allow individuals to join political parties using the eFaas digital identity system.
No additional forms will be required for party membership under the new rules.
The amendment on Thursday follows reports in January of individuals being registered as party members without their knowledge through falsified membership forms. The issue escalated after the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) was accused of enrolling individuals without their consent.
Under the new process, individuals seeking to join a political party must:
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1-
Log in to the Elections Commission (EC) My Portal through eFaas.
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Select and complete the required party membership forms.
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Submit the form, after which the EC will notify the respective party.
The EC has issued the 10th amendment to the regulation of political parties to implement this change. As part of the new process, individuals applying for party membership must acknowledge that they do not object to the EC verifying their information with the Department of National Registration (DNR) if required.
An EC official stated that the move to an online biometric system was intended to prevent fraudulent registrations. The commission had previously introduced measures to verify physical forms but continued to receive complaints regarding fake memberships.
The EC has raised concerns over the issue, with more than 400 complaints filed last month regarding unauthorised party registrations.
