The Danquah Institute has said though it supports the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to compile a new register, it must be forthright and decisive in its approach and processes.
At a press conference in Accra on Monday, Acting Executive Director, Richard Ahiagbah, said a lack of public education and rationalisation of its decision is a major reason why some Ghanaians are worried and skeptical about the compilation of a new Voters Register.
“The EC’s public relations have also failed to give comfort to a coalition of Civil Society Organisations and political parties.
“Recently, the issue of excluding the current voter I.D. as a form of qualification in C.I 126, has attracted widespread public disapproval. This should not have happened if the E.C. was minded to inform Ghanaians that the voter I.D. card’s exclusion as a form of qualification as directed by the Supreme Court of Ghana,” he added.
Mr Ahiagba also urged the EC to engage and objectively assess the recommendations put forth by leading Civil Society Organisations and members of the Ghana Anti-corruption Coalition.
“They raised concerns to do with the cost of compiling a new register, procurement issues, technical concerns. Others, too, have raised concerns about time and Covid-19 as reasons why the E.C. should do compile a new register.
“But given the overriding Constitutional, legal and process irregularities advanced thus far, and would hopefully be amplified beyond the four walls of this room, we believe that the EC can achieve consensus with all interest groups to engage the concerns about cost, procurement, technical, time and Covid-19 as part of the EC’s process to compile a new Voters Register,” he added.
