Some 64,200 would-be voters identified for Sahara referendum

The U.N. mission for the referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) has identified since last December 3 some 64,200 would-be voters in the referendum that the U.N. plans to hold in the territory.

In a release faxed to Map, the MINURSO said some 93,682 persons were convoked since last December 3. Some 340 persons were identified on June 5 alone, the mission said.

The new figure brings to 124,312 the total number of persons identified since the operation first began in 1994.

The identification operation resumed last December 3 after almost a two-year suspension, due to the refusal of the Polisario to participate in the identification of some tribal groups driven by the Spanish repression to reside outside the Sahara.

The referendum, to which Morocco called, is designed to determine whether the Sahara sets up on its own or incorporates with Morocco.

Initially set for next December 7, the referendum risks postponement for two months, due to delays in the identification of would-be voters.