Regional Elections: CPDM leaders warn against null ballots in South Region’s Ocean Division

By Tata Mbunwe

Although the ruling CPDM party controls all municipalities in the Ocean Division of the South Region, the party’s Divisional Chair, Minister Jules Doret Ndongo has warned militants against casting null votes during the upcoming Regional Elections.

Five days to the elections, the party fears disgruntled militants who failed to be nominated for Regional Council seats could cast empty ballots.

Null votes in this case could mean that non of the norminated candidates deserve a vote and this will expose disunity among militants, something the party’s leaders are cautioning against.

“Victims of frustrations in the selection of candidates for the Regional Council and several party advisers are still resisting the vote on December 6,” reports our South Regional correspondent.

The ruling CPDM beat the PCRN party of Cabral Libii in the Ocean Division during February’s Municipal Elections. The CPDM controls all nine municipal councils in the division and is the only party contesting the Regional Elections in the Ocean Division after Cabral Libii’s party backed out of the race.

According to reports, some of the CPDM militants are still disgruntled after they were rejected from contesting in the Regional Elections.

It is feared that these councilors may express their frustrations by dropping empty ballots into the boxes.

It is predicted that the ruling party might take over regional management in most regions after this Sunday’s elections.

The party controls 32 out of 33 municipalities in the East region and also controls most municipalities in the South and Centre regions.

CPDM is also the lone contester in the Northwest and Southwest regions after the opposition Social Democratic Front party, which is the second-largest party on the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest, boycotted the elections.