The National Elections Observatory says the revision will pave the way for free October 2015 general elections.

On the heels of the announcement of the postponement of presidential and legislative elections in the Central African Republic to October 18, 2015, the National Elections Observatory (ONE) has suggested key issues to be revised in the current electoral code to make the polls free, fair, transparent, credible and acceptable, Radio Ndeke Luka reported.

In a press conference in the capital Bangui on Friday, June 19, 2019 after the National Elections Authority (ANE) announced the postponement of the polls from the initial July to October 2015, ONE made its suggestions known.

The institution wants the Strategic Follow up Committee for Elections dissolved in order to enable the National Elections Authority to work in independence. Dieu Béni Origine Békondi, the communication officer of ONE described the Strategic Committee as an informal structure.

The National Elections Observatory would want the formal and substantial shortcomings of the current electoral code enacted into law on November 13, 2013 corrected.

It revealed that in the formal domain, the current electoral code lacks tables of content and abbreviations. The code, the institution insisted, has not taken into account many aspects relating to elections, such as regulating the activities of the elections monitoring, judicial conditions of voters and candidates, Dieu Béni Origine Békondi reportedly said.

ONE would therefore want to participate in improving the electoral rights in the Central African Republic. The Observatory officials base their argument on the fact that since the electoral code is a reference tool in the electoral process, it has to meet international standards enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Pact on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.