IEC rushes to condemn �EVM rigging lesson�
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday January 27, 2017 16:45
In the two-minute video dubbed ‘Lesson 101 on how to rig an EVM’, a faceless man shows and narrates how chips inside an EVM can be changed to make votes for other candidates go to the one chosen by the manipulator. The presenter using an uncovered machine which does not resemble the ones IEC demonstrated on last year makes 20 votes using examples of BDP, UDC and BCP and the results give more votes to the BCP as it had been planned by the manipulator.
“It has come to the attention of the IEC that there is a video on a gadget assumed to be the type of EVM to be procured by IEC trending on social media. The type of equipment and the associated message relayed is wrong and misleading about the envisaged EVMs,” reads a statement from IEC public relations officer Kabelo Hulela.
Hulela further stated that the type of the envisaged EVM is far from being compared with the one on social media. “It has to be noted that there are different types of EVMs used in the world and each is customised to the environment under which it is intended to be used. Basically the envisaged EVM is not computer and software based as compared to the one trending on social media,” he said.
Hulela said the IEC condemns any attempt by anybody to cause panic in the public sphere by making assumptions to know the type of EVMs envisaged. He assured the public that intensive civic and voter education will be conducted for them to appreciate the type of EVM to be used and will have the opportunity to test its trustworthiness.
Even though the Bill introducing the EVM has been enacted, opposition activists have condemned the move. They argue that the rushed introduction of the machine with limited consultation can only mean that the ruling BDP wants to rig elections using the machine. The BCP has since filed with the courts challenging the use of the machine.
Bharat Electronics from India has been awarded the tender to supply the machine for an amount expected to be around P100 million. The machine will be used for the first time in the 2019 general elections.