21 Aug 2007

Kiribati set to go to polls

10:04 am on 21 August 2007

Registered voters in Kiribati are gearing up to go to the polls for the general election tomorrow.

There are 43,184 people registered to vote in Kiribati, with over 10,000 of those registered throughout Tarawa electorates.

146 candidates are contesting this year's election of a 44-seat parliament.

Our correspondent Roz Terubea says there has been an urgent plea to all election officials throughout the 23 electoral districts, to ensure voters know how to cast their vote.

"The Chief electoral officer Mrs Rine Ueara last week made a radio announcement informing all islands councils or districts in electoral wards, that they should teach their new officers or any members of the public who are going to be engaged in the election process and voters in general themselves, the procedures as to how to put on your x on the voting paper because one of the issues the Electoral Office and the Election Commission, both are trying to target, is they are trying to lower the number of invalid voting papers, which had been the case in the past election."

Roz Terubea.