Preparations underway for four provincial elections

Vanuatu’s Electoral Office has confirmed four provinces will have provincial elections in May this year.

The Deputy Principal Electoral Officer, Gary Tavoa, says the four provinces are Penama, Malampa, Shefa and Tafea provinces.

He says the elections will cost the Government more than VT35 million.

“The Vanuatu Electoral Office is currently preparing logistics and operation plans for these provincial elections,” Mr Tavoa said.

He says the office is currently collecting data and registering voters onto the electoral roll in the four provinces.

Mr Tavoa says there are already around 150,000 registered voters in the 12 constituencies of the four provinces.

“The provincial elections this year will involve almost 150,000 voters.”

The electoral office says voters can use either their national ID or electoral card to prove their identity for voting.

Mr Tavoa says qualified voters who are not yet registered should register at their provincial office headquarters to ensure their names are on the electoral roll.

Closing dates for registering to vote and the polling day have not yet been confirmed.

The electoral office is requesting that political party presidents and interested contestants stay alert for updates on the dates for voter registration closing, applying to stand for election and the polling day.