President of the National Electoral Council accompanies elections in South Africa

The president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Tibisay Lucena, attended on Monday an invitation from the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI) of the Republic of South Africa, chaired by Vuma Glenton Mashinini, to accompany the national and Provincials elections of that nation scheduled for this Wednesday, May 8. A total of 27 million registered electors in nine provinces are summoned for these elections. This year, South Africa celebrates the 25th anniversary of its first democratic election following a long history of exclusion generated by the abolished system of racial segregation known as apartheid. It is the sixth election in a country in which its population and political parties are committed to the challenge of continuing to build a constitutional democracy. In South Africa as in Venezuela, the vote is a right. The figures reflect a high percentage of registered citizens with almost 75% of the population of voting age included in the electoral register. A special feature of the South African electoral system is the so-called special vote, which allows persons with disabilities, adults and seniors, women in advanced pregnancy or people who can not vote on election day for reasons of majeure force, to be able to do it in days before the day of the election. This method ensures that voters can do the suffrage where they are registered or the electoral officials can also go to their homes and allow them to exercise their vote at home. To make use of these options, voters must register on pre-established dates within the electoral schedule. Bi-national cooperation Within the framework of international electoral cooperation, the CNE has developed important bilateral ties that allow to strengthen the learning, exchange and cooperation in electoral matters . A delegation from the South African Electoral Commission participated in the International Electoral Accompaniment Program organized for the presidential election and the state legislative councils on May 20, 2018, recording their admiration for the Venezuelan electoral system and the broad set of guarantees that sustain it