The Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) over the limited voter registration exercise which is being held at the EC’s district offices across the country.
The lawmaker explains that the whole registration process could disrupt the country’s democratic procedures as the EC was to ensure that the process was decentralised to enable the majority of citizens who have attained age 18 or might have lost their ID cards to register without any difficulties.
For him, limiting the exercise to the districts and not to polling stations could disenfranchise many eligible voters in the upcoming 2024 general elections.
“All of us don’t want coups to happen in our jurisdictions,” Ablakwa said. “But you see, when public officials refuse to learn, it results in coups. The Gabon coup is an example and has ended in the disruption of their democracy. And we don’t want that in Ghana”.
The MP, in addition, urged the EC chairperson to consult stakeholders on the ongoing registration process and urged the youth who will be unable to register to hold the EC responsible for her actions.
“Look at the anger and outrage that the youth feel about these policies of Jean Mensa. Very autocratic, very undemocratic, no consultation whatsoever. And she is going ahead”.
The limited voter registration exercise is ongoing at the 268 District Offices of the Commission and the Electoral Commission across the country.
The EC hopes to register 1,350,000 new voters by the close of the exercise on October 2, 2023.
However, many people have raised concerns about the location, which will require eligible Ghanaians to move from their homes to district offices, which could be several kilometres away, a disincentive to participate in the exercise.
On September 7, five opposition political parties led by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) sued the Electoral Commission (EC) at the Supreme Court over the upcoming limited voter registration exercise.
The NDC, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the All People’s Congress (APC), the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), and the Great Consolidated People’s Party (GCPP), in their writ, demanded that the apex court should restrain the EC from holding the Limited Voter Registration exercise at only district offices instead of electoral areas.
Despite the numerous calls by the parties and other individuals, the EC has turned deaf ears by ordering the commencement of the limited voter registration in all the district offices.
For citizens who are yet to register, the EC disclosed that they will need either their Ghana Card or Ghana Passport as identification. In cases where eligible applicants do not possess these identification documents, they can be vouched for by two registered voters to facilitate their registration.