The National Electoral Commission (NEC) has released the calendar for the upcoming local government elections slated in late this month. The elections, which had been scheduled for 2020, were delayed because of the Covid-19 outbreak. Here are the key dates and events of the election roadmap: 1. Submission of credentials Ten days from October 11th will be the time for candidates vying for advisory councillors positions to send in their credentials for the electoral commission to evaluate which ones fulfill all the needed requirements. All the credentials will be submitted online. Eligible candidates for district councillors will be announced on October 26. 2. Electoral Campaigns After eligible candidates have been permitted to run for the positions, they will campaign online. Campaigns will take place from October 3 to 12, virtually for those vying for district level posts, whereas those campaigning for the sector, cell and village posts will campaign physically on the same day of the elections to avoid large gatherings. 3. Election kick off Elections will take place in phases depending on administrative levels. For instance, the executive committee for the national women and youth councils’ elections on the village level will commence on October 19, followed by elections at the cell level on October 30. Elections at the sector level are slated on November 6, whereas at the district level they will commence on November 9. District councillors and the executive committee will be elected. These will be followed by the elections of the executive committee of women and disabled people at the provincial and after, the national level. 4. Announcement of the results November 26 will be the final date to announce the results from the elections. The results that will be announced are the districts and provincial elections as well as few posts campaigned for at the national level. 5. Next mandate kicks off in February 2022 The term for the elected leaders will kick off in February 2022. After the announcement of the results, the final election report will be submitted before the end of 2021.
