More than 15,000 prisoners apply to vote in Sunday's election

Over 15,000 prisoners have announced their intention to vote in Sunday's presidential election, according to the National Penitentiary Administration (ANP). 

ANP says that the centralisation of the figures nationwide as of Thursday indicates that 15,043 enfranchised prisoners announced their intention to participate in the poll on Sunday, out of a total of 17,660. 

"We want to point out that the centralised count as of November 7, 2019 is estimative, as 20:00hrs on the eve of the election was the deadline for submitting the nominal lists and applications to the polling stations to which the penitentiary or the place of detention have been distributed," ANP said in a statement. 

According to a decision of the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) voters in custody or serving freedom-abridging sentences who have not been disenfranchised may vote at a special ballot box. 

In order to ensure the prisoners' right to vote, the following measures have been arranged at the level of the ANP units: identifying enfranchised prisoners and informing them about the possibility of exercising the right to vote at the special ballot box; informing the enfranchised prisoners about the requirements to fill in an application regarding the exercise of the right to vote; taking action to make sure identity documents are issued to such prisoners who do not own such a document or whose documents have to be renewed; submitting the nominal lists, together with the applications, to the polling station to which the penitentiary or place of detention has been distributed; setting up and equipping an appropriate place inside the polling stations for the ballot boxes and voting booths to be set up taking into account the approximate number of enfranchised prisoners participating in the elections, says ANP.