EC debates bill to boost power
The Election Commission is expected to debate on September 13 a draft organic law seeking to grant itself more powers to ensure efficiency in guarding against poll fraud and cheats. A source at the EC said the draft law involves the elections of MPs and the mechanisms expected to help the poll agency do its job efficiently. Under the bill prepared by the Office of the Election Commission’s working panel, the EC will maintain its authority to disqualify election candidates and poll winners who violate election regulations with “orange” cards, and a new black one, to be issued by the courts, added to the EC’s existing yellow and red card penalties. An orange card will suspend the election rights of a winning candidate for a year if the EC has evidence the candidate is involved in election fraud.
