As the final round of voting for new senators is to take place this Wednesday, Election Commission (EC) officials have been keeping a close watch on any activity which could be regarded as election fraud.
According to informed sources at the EC, there are four main types of malpractice. Firstly, successful candidates in the provincial-level vote, who know that they stand little chance of winning in the final vote, will “sell” their votes for 6-figure amounts or position to those who actually want to get elected.
The second trick is by political groups, who will try to convince other candidates to join their background group to get their candidate elected.
Another trick is the use of a broker, who will book hotel rooms for candidates so they can be lobbied easily. When the broker has enough candidates in his pocket, he will approach political groups to “sell” these votes to their candidates.
The final form of malpractice is for certain political office holders to approach the provincial-level winners about joining their “super” groups, with a promise to help them to get elected.
The sources say that such malpractices have already been detected in many provinces, especially in the north.
About 3,000 candidates have passed the provincial-level selection process and they advance to the final, national vote. The 200 candidates who receive the highest number of votes within their background groups will become senators.
The 100 runners-up will comprise the reserve list.
