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Two boats with OBM and other Election Support Items were handed over to the Electoral Commission by UNDP Deputy Resident Representative and Country Manager, Mr Berdie Berdiyev and First Secretary to the Australian High Commission in a brief Ceremony earlier this week at Electoral Office’s warehouse. The ceremony was witnessed by all staff at the Solomon Islands Electoral Office and the SECSIP Project.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony, Mr. Berdiyev acknowledged the Government of Australia, the UNDP major donor partner to the Strengthening Electoral Cycle Solomon Island Project (SECSIP). SECSIP through financial commitment by Australia and UNDP will continue to provide its support to the Commission in achieving its main areas of project outputs, Mr Berdiyev pledged.
Similar sentiments were offered by the First Secretary of the Australian High Commission, Mrs. Kellie Raab, of its ongoing support to the Commission.
Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Mr Fredrick Bosoboe, received these items with deep appreciation on behalf of the Commission.
“Australia Government and UNDP through SECSIP has been supporting the Electoral Commission in fulfilment of its roles and responsibilities”. Mr Bosoboe said.
“I am grateful to the SECSIP/UNDP and the Australian Government for continuously coming to our aid”, Mr Bosoboe uttered.
Mr Bosoboe said that such assistance is timely as SIEO gears up to administer voter registration update in Western and Choiseul Provinces commencing in August 2022 and their provincial assembly elections that will follow suit in December”.
“Voter Registration Centres and polling stations within these two provinces are only accessible by sea transport and is not cheap. Boat hire makes up a considerable expense for Provincial Election Budgets during Electoral events and with the rising fuel prices surge in goods and services in the country, such cost-effective form of assistance will save monies intended for hiring of boats”, Mr Bosoboe said.
“A truly cost cutting assistance and we want to thank you”, Mr Bosoboe reiterated.
In the bigger picture, this is not only cross cutting but it is in line with the Commission’s plan to also establish its provincial election offices in all provinces.
This assistance also allows SIEO staff to soon take possession of new laptops and ICT equipment which will upgrade and enhance staff’s capabilities in carrying out their work.
With our recent upgrade of our office network and the installation of the fibre optic connection, we are optimistic our electoral services will soon go online.
“To our donors, we sincerely appreciate your support in equipping my team at the SIEO. Mr Bosoboe concludes
Items that were handed over includes two boats (23 Feet, Yamaha Rayboat) and two Outboard Motors with lifesaving gear (16 life jackets, 4 TELESCOPIC PADDLES, two anchor kits); COVID 19 protective equipment and products ( face protection shields for staff use, portable water devices to be placed at the entrance of venues for handwashing, hand-sanitizer gel, soap, hand gloves, face masks and hand wipe and other stationary kits in support of the voter registration campaigns, computer hardware, printing and scanning machines.
SECSIP’s funding support to the Electoral Commission has since 2014 is consistently provided and has achieved number of major projects which includes support towards the implementation of the biometric voter registration system and the elections in 2014 and 2019.
Such support has enabled Solomon Islands Electoral Commission to successfully introduced COVID 19 preventive and risk mitigating procedures and measures in its electoral processes, training staff and raising awareness amongst the electorate enabling the citizens of Solomon Islands to continue exercising their rights and electing their representatives in 2020 and 2021.
SECSIP III is an example of a successful collaboration where the efforts of the Solomon Islands Electoral authorities, UNDP SECSIP and Australia have been put together to continue advancing in the consolidation of democracy and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
In development towards achievement of these goals; together as partners; SIEO will continue to acknowledge and support such form of donor assistance for enhancement and strengthening the delivery of election services in the country.
-SIEC Press
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As part of the deployment of the SIEO training team to Auki for the election training of senior officers for the West Kwaio Parliamentary by-election and the Waneagu Taelanasina Ward 18 Provincial by-election, the Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Mr.Fredrick Bosoboe made a courtesy call to the Hon. Premier of Malaita Province this morning, 4 July 2022.
The Hon. Premier was briefed on the 2 by-elections eventuating in the Province, preparations, and acknowledging the support of the Province to the Commission in delivering these by-elections.
The brief courtesy call was witnessed by the DPS and Acting Provincial Secretary for Malaita Province, Mr.David Filia Tuita who is also our Election Manager for the by-elections.
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SIEO Press
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SIEO Training Team leaves for Auki to conduct training of senior election officials for the West Kwaio National Parliamentary by-election and the Ward 18 of Malaita Provincial assembly by-election.
Both by-elections are proposed to be held simultaneously on the 21st of September 2022.
This begins a series of back-to-back election officials’ training scheduled for upcoming electoral events.
The three days training will run from the 4th – 6th of July. Training sessions include election administrations, field operations, voter awareness, finance management, recruitments, and human resource management.
Participants for this training are the election manager, returning officers, and assistant returning officers who will be administering these two by-elections on the ground.
The team is expected back in Honiara on the 7th of July and will again be deployed to conduct the next set of training for the voter registration update in Western and Choiseul Provinces.
This BVR training will bring together officers from Choiseul to Gizo and is scheduled to begin on the 11th of July in Gizo, Western Province.
Acting Chief Electoral Officer, Fredrick Bosoboe, who is leading the team echoes, "SIEO on behalf of the SIEC wants to acknowledge the Solomon Islands Government and our SECSIP/UNDP electoral project for financially supporting these training. Importantly, also the support by the Malaita Provincial Government for its administrative arrangements and logistical backing to the Commission".
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SIEO press.
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SIEO Operation Manager, Mr. Fredrick Bosoboe was this morning, in a brief ceremony, sworn in as the Acting Chief Electoral Officer and Commissioner by His Excellency the Acting Governor General Hon Patteson Oti at Government House.
A brief introduction and welcome meeting this morning after the swearing-in ceremony was held at the Electoral Office, Mr. Bosoboe was humbled, but grateful for the recognition and recommendation to be appointed Acting CEO and Commissioner by the Commission and he looked forward to working with the team as usual to execute SIEO mandated activities during his time as acting CEO.
“I am humbled to take on this appointment as Acting Chief Electoral Officer and looking forward to continue working with the team as usual including our internal and external electoral stakeholders,” Mr. Bosoboe said.
Mr. Bosoboe is an electoral professional and from his wealth of knowledge and experience in election administration in Solomon Islands, he has gained a great deal of respect from the SIEC, SIEO colleagues and election field Officers.
The SIEO’s team often refers to him as our ‘go to person’ when it comes to our electoral processes and systems in the Solomon Islands context.
As the current Operation Manager, he is responsible for organising all electoral events and operational aspects for each electoral event for the SIEO. A wide range of experiences over past nationwide voter registration exercises, national general elections, provincial and city council elections, spanning over more than 17 years of electoral experience locally, regionally and internationally.
The Commission had recommended the appointment of Mr. Bosoboe as the acting CEO and Commissioner to the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. The Judicial Legal Service Commission then recommended to His Excellency the Governor-General that he be so appointed. This resulted in his formal appointment by the Governor-General and the swearing-in ceremony which followed.
The appointment of Mr. Bosoboe is very crucial and timely for the Electoral Office as it prepares for and conducts various electoral events in the coming months.
The position of the CEO was left vacant in April when the former CEO, Mrs. Jane Waetara, resigned to take up another appointment as Solomon Islands Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador to the United States and High Commissioner to Canada.
The Solomon Islands Electoral Office will be under the able guidance of Acting Chief Electoral Officer Mr. Fredrick Bosoboe until a substantive CEO is appointed.
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Solomon Islands Electoral Taskforce acknowledges participants from numerous stakeholder groups in Makira for their support and contributions during the two days electoral reform consultation program held in Kirakira last week.
It was a valuable set of discussions and investment of time as it was appreciated by participants for given the opportunity to share and freely express their views on the electoral reform agenda items that is currently in consultation nationwide.
The consultation continues and the Electoral Taskforce team will be leaving today (Friday 3rd June) from Honiara for Isabel Province, on their third provincial consultation program scheduled for the 6th and 7th of June, 2022.
Read more: Electoral Taskforce Consultation Program Continues: Makira Done, Isabel Next -