The Ceni plans to register between 13 and 14 million voters during the electoral roll overhaul. The operation aims to strengthen the register before upcoming elections. Thierry Rakotonarivo, president of the Ceni, explained the electoral roll overhaul process yesterday at Alarobia.

Between 13 and 14 million people will be registered on the new electoral roll. This is the objective announced by Thierry Rakotonarivo, president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni), during a consultation held yesterday at the institution's headquarters in Ivandry. In a constructive atmosphere, representatives of political parties, civil society organizations, media and other stakeholders discussed the modalities of the electoral roll overhaul, a major undertaking designed to replace the current register.

This overhaul comes in a context marked by numerous irregularities found in the old electoral roll, notably the presence of duplicates and other inconsistencies. The institution, often criticized and questioned, faces questions about its functioning and credibility. Its members are currently complete, except for the Senate representative, as this institution no longer exists. "From the moment we took office, we made the development of a reliable and cleaned-up electoral roll our priority," declared Thierry Rakotonarivo, recalling that the institution's credibility will be evaluated based on the results of this work.

The decree on the electoral roll overhaul was published on April 13, 2026. The operation should last between 12 and 24 months. The voter census will begin on July 28, 2026, while the new roll should be finalized on April 25, 2027. The registration period will span four months.

Five Methods

To achieve the goal of 14 million voters, the Ceni plans five registration methods: home visits, registrations at fokontany, operations in the most frequented places, online registration and registrations made by primatas.

The new electoral roll will be established based on fokontany. Local Electoral Census Committees (CLRE) will be set up in each locality. They will notably include representatives of fokontany responsible for validating registrations, while observers designated by political parties will monitor the process to ensure transparency.

When asked about the possible implementation of a biometric voter card, electronic voting or an intelligent electoral list, Thierry Rakotonarivo clarified that "this overhaul will be based on an alphanumeric electoral roll. Biometrics are not yet planned for this operation."

Financed by a budget of 34 billion ariary, entirely funded by the State, the operation also attracts the interest of several technical and financial partners. "This funding is sufficient to carry out the entire overhaul according to the set schedule. However, we will not prevent partners who wish to support Madagascar from contributing to this operation," affirmed Thierry Rakotonarivo, noting that several countries and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have already expressed their willingness to provide support.

The Ceni intends to conduct this overhaul around three principles: respect for the law, transparency and citizen participation. Since 2019, nearly five million voters have been registered on the electoral roll. The objective is now to have a more reliable, more comprehensive register free of duplicates before the next elections.