Electoral Commission in Ghana is accusing the opposition National Democratic
Congress of misinforming to the public about its operations.
May 15 in a signed statement by its Acting Director of Public Affairs, Sylvia Annoh,
it was pointed that
“attempts by the NDC to misinform the general public and the electorate about its operations and bring its name into disrepute at a Press Conference held on Thursday, 14th May, 2020.”
“it is impossible for the Commission to conspire with any political party or institution as being speculated by Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo and the NDC since the electoral processes remain transparent at all levels.”
“As an independent body, the Electoral Commission is mandated to conduct free, fair and transparent elections within the confines of the law and will continue to perform its functions as such without fear or favour.”
“The EC found it imperative to amend the CI 91 which is currently in Parliament for applicants to resort to the use of the Ghanaian Passport and the Ghana Card to aid in the elimination of unqualified names in the register.”
“Further, an applicant who does not have the Ghana card or Passport may resort to obtaining two (2) guarantors to facilitate their registration and therefore, the exclusion of the Voter ID card as a requirement will not lead to suppression of votes.”
“Moreover, the new CI, if passed by parliament, will afford guarantors the opportunity to guarantee for upwards of ten (10) applicants instead of five (5) as stipulated in the current CI. This makes it possible for applicants without Ghana card and passports to also register,” it stated.
“It is worthy to note that the Commission does not require the services of Commissioners of Oath during registration of voters as alluded to by Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo. It must be put on record that the Ghana card has been a requirement in the current CI since 2012.
“It is important to emphasize that no illegality has been perpetuated in respect of the selection of Thales (DIS) as the vendor since all the relevant processes were executed in strict adherence to the procurement law and in a transparent manner,” according to the EC.
“Irrespective of the fact that the Commission has expressed its intention to rely on the NIA’s data for compilation of future Voters’ Registration exercises, this intention does not by any stretch of imagination preclude the use of the Ghana card as a requirement for the upcoming registration exercise as it has always been a requirement under the CI since 2012.”
“On the issue of registration in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EC has repeatedly indicated that it will strictly adhere to the safety protocols spelt out by the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health.”
It added that “The cluster system was adopted in 2012 for the Voters’ Registration exercise and this system did not lead to overcrowding. It is therefore astonishing that the NDC is claiming otherwise since this system does not seek to do away with registration at each polling station.”
“The Electoral Commission wishes to assure all stakeholders at all levels of its determination to deliver free, fair and credible Presidential and Parliamentary Elections on December 7, 2020 as mandated by law,” it stressed.
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