Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Ghana: EC Begins Voter Registration after Delays



The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has begun a 10 voter registration that will allow any eligible voter especially those turning 18years after 2012 register. The registration which was intended to start in June this year was postponed exercise because they could not secure the services of teachers who were invigilating BECE and later delayed due to a Supreme Court case brought against the EC on the use of the NHIS card as identification for the registration of first voters. 

Plans by the EC to also allow NHIS card as an acceptable identification for registration received a strong challenge from political parties resulting in a legal battle led by the PNC National Youth Organiser Abu Ramadan, and a private lawyer Kwasi Danso-Acheampong. Following the court ruling, Principal Public Relations officer Sylviah Annoh said the EC in compliance with the Supreme Court ruling will not accept national health insurance cards as identification by applicants.

"Prospective applicants are expected to have old voter ID card, national identification card, drivers’ license or a passport. If you are an applicant and you don't have any of these you can have two guarantors", she said. She added that the exercise will start from 7am to 6pm every day and will end next week Wednesday 13 August 2014. Meanwhile, the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) says it will also deploy 350 of its field volunteers to observe the exercise.


No comments:

Post a Comment