By M.A. Egg
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The National Assemblies Parliament has passed its third reading of the amendments on the National Registrations Act Law No. 37/2007.
The Lower House of Representatives who had earlier on voted on the law amendments of this law and had forwarded it to the Upper House of the Elders (the Guurti) was entangled into a lot of hue and cries over allegations of tampering of some of the amended articles in the Act.
In the aftermath of a bitter wrangle of political infighting that threatened to spill into political spoils outside the parliament, the Guurti stepped in and calmed the situation.
The Guurti has since corrected the anomalies and, as per constitution, referred the amendment back to the parliament for its third reading.
It has thus been passed in the parliament in their Saturday’s session (yesterday) in a seating that had 39 ayes, 3 nays and an abstention.
The main change occurs in Section 3 Article 28 part 1 of the law which now empowers the Head of State to name the date of the commencement of the national registration of electors through a presidential decree within 15 days after being notified formally by the National Electoral Commission.
Similarly, Section 1 Article 7 part 2 of the law provides for the National Electoral Commission to be able to avail the valid final lists of electors at least 6 months prior to the date (day) of the elections.
Now that the amendments of the Law No 37/2007 have had its issue laid to rest, it is expected that no qualms will arise over the same matter in the near future.
Meanwhile the long awaited new NEC officials who have just been confirmed and vetted by the parliament are reportedly expected to be duly sworn in today.
