Registration Phase Now Complete One Step Closer to the 1999 Presidential Elections [Archives:1999/26/Front Page]

After the completion of the voter registration phase of the 1999 presidential elections, the President of the Supreme Elections Committee (SEC), Mr. Abdullah Hussein Barakat indicated that the numbers of voters was quite impressive, and expressed his satisfaction at how procedures have gone so far. The statistics given by the committee indicate that the number of voters was higher than expected. The voters were quite helpful in all procedures of the registration phase. Not only did people intend to exercise their right to vote, but they believed that they indeed can contribute to the democratic process in the country by voting. 
The SEC had also indicated that it is ready to accept any kind of supervision by local, Arab, and international organizations during the elections which will take place in October of this year. On the other hand, several opposition parties have claimed that there were several violations of the law during the registration phase, such as registering imaginary names, multiple registrations for the same person, using fake documents, etc.. These claims were continuously distributed to the media by fax and letters. The SEC has responded to this by saying that if there are any claims that such violations have occurred, the appropriate answer is to issue lawsuits against the SEC. It claims to be ready to answer all questions and prove its claims in court. When asked whether the preparations for the elections will be completed on time or not, Mr. Abdullah Barakat confirmed that the preparations are going as scheduled, and that there are no obstacles whatsoever in this regard. He says that he is optimistic that the elections will be fair, and democratic in all aspects.
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