Acting as guarantor contractor is illegal – EC warns

The Electoral Commission (EC) says it is against the Constitutional Instrument (C1) 91 for any registered voter to vouch for prospective applicants if they are not directly related.

“The C1 91 states that a registered voter who is the applicant’s parent, siblings, spouse, guardian and other are the only persons who can serve as a guarantor”, the Commission said in a notice  to the general public on Tuesday, July 14, 2020.

“C1 91 only specifies that an applicant must be well known to the guarantor and that anything contrary to that constitutes an electoral offense punishable by law”, the Commission added.

There have been reports of some people who are said have been positioned at various registration centers serving as ‘Guarantor Contractors’.

According to the EC, such an act is illegal and the officials of the Commission will not hesitate to hand over such persons to the security agencies to face the law.

The body further saidt under guarantor window, individuals vouching for other applicants are required to swear an oath affirming he or she knows the applicant and is qualified to register as a voter at that registration Centre.

“People who commit such an offence are liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than five hundred penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than two years or both”