FUNAFUTI (Pacnews) — Around 5,000 voters are expected to cast their votes during Tuvalu’s general elections at the end of this month.
Semiti Lopati, the supervisor of elections, said the figure would be finalized at the end of this week.
With the registered number of voters hovering around the 5,000 mark in past elections, and with voter turnout in previous elections hovering around 80 percent, Lopati said they expect this year’s elections figures to be no different.
Government has allocated A$25,000 ($14,000) for the one-day general elections on July 25.
Although the fund is largely for election preparation work and for the salaries of elections officials, the government has not allocated any funds for any awareness program, nor has it embarked on educating voters on their rights and how to vote.
Lopati said this is not necessary, as they have not encountered major elections problems in the past.
Although some NGOs are pushing for more awareness programs on the elections to convince the public to assess their choice of candidates on the basis of their policies, voting in Tuvalu is still largely decided on the basis of family ties.
In the words of one election candidate, the “more relatives you have, the more votes you can expect.”
The situation is perpetuated by the absence of a party system in Tuvalu. Candidates campaign on their own, with winning candidates “ganging up” with those of similar ideologies in parliament to form government.
