You can sue EC if you’re unhappy with plans to compile new voter’s register – CDD

The Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has given political parties and groups ill-fated with the Electoral Commission’s decision to compile a new voter’s register for the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections to follow due constitutional processes to have their concerns resolved.

In a video posted by the CDD on May 15, 2020, capturing its Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, Dr Kojo Asante, he urged persons who disagree with the EC to resort to the court.

“The more substantive matter has to do with the compilation of the new voters’ register. This ongoing issue with the Electoral Commission we’ve all had our say for months but the EC has still insisted that it wants to go ahead and compile the register despite concerns that have been raised. If there are issues that we have with it, there are options that we have which include going to court particularly if these actions are unlawful and I know already that the NDC has already gone to court about the lawfulness of the EC refusing to use voter ID cards for people to identify themselves during the registration. So there is already a process in place and people should respect the courts to give a ruling so that we all move forward,” Dr Asante said.

He further advised Ghanaians to desist from using violent ways of expressing their concerns with decisions made by the EC.

“There is no benefit in this current contest to anybody to want to go and fight or do anything outside of the laid down procedures in order for us to be able to give a mandate to whoever Ghanaians will choose as their president come January. It is completely unnecessary. Of course, lawful processes will delay an already encumbered registration process and some of us already have done our analysis that shows we are really risking this process because of all the delays that have happened if we want to still compile a new voter’s register. So the lawful processes will obviously delay but that is a much better option,” Dr Asante said.

Background

The Electoral Commission’s decision to compile a new voter’s register has been met with varied reactions from the political actors.

Whereas the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some opposition parties and civil society organisations have frowned against the decision, the NPP and twelve other political parties have backed the move.

Regardless of the resistance, the EC has been bent on compiling the new register but subsequently, put the exercise on hold following the outbreak of the coronavirus.

The EC has also presented to Parliament, a Constitutional Instrument to amend C.I 91 to make Ghana card and passports the only form of identification before one could be considered for the new register.