Limited funding and instability within the Electoral Commission Secretariat are affecting its ability to carry out its constitutional duties.
This was highlighted by Electoral Commission Secretariat member Cynthia Khan.
She was presenting the 2023–2024 Annual Reports to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.
“The presentation is structured around the main themes in the committee’s questions, that is on governance, FICA records, the issues that we had with FICA, the electoral reform, the voter register, and the complaints and transparency. It also focuses on the financial and operational management, the international engagement, and future priorities.”
Khan explained that funding constraints and internal instability have created challenges. These affect routine operations and key constitutional functions.
She states that stable baseline funding is essential. It is needed to maintain independence and effectiveness. This includes support for meetings, appeals, legal advice, reporting, records management and secretariat services.
The reports also show the Commission faced major institutional strain in 2023 and 2024. This included quorum issues, staffing shortages, funding pressures and disruptions to operations.
Khan adds that stronger institutional stability is needed. She also calls for reliable funding.
She said this was vital to maintain public trust and ensure smooth future elections.
