The Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, has indicated that the Electoral Commission, during a recent IPAC meeting, charged political parties to ensure the credibility of the voter registration process after the commission had agreed to suspend the use of the Ghana Card as the sole Constitutional Instrument (CI) for registration.
He stated that though the Electoral Commission maintained the reviewed CI 91 (as amended), the Guarantor System, its reservations about the incredibility of the system still stand. He urged the public to ensure that only Ghanaians who are eighteen (18) years and above register.
He detailed that Ghanaians should make it their responsibility to report anyone who tries to compromise the credibility of the registration process to the police.
“Nobody raised any objections because we all want to have peaceful elections. So anything that can help us have a peaceful election, we will do it. But having peaceful elections does not also mean that we should destroy our register by bringing in people who are not qualified. I believe there will be a commitment from the political parties”.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe further detailed that the elections in Ghana are not only the responsibility of the EC but a collaborative responsibility of the EC and the citizens. “The EC has a role to play and the voter has a role to play, the media, political parties, and candidates have a role to play” he added.
He argued that when the EC’s decisions seem to be dividing the stakeholders of an election rather than uniting them, then the right course of action to take is to settle on a decision that is agreeable to all stakeholders hence the EC’s decision to put a halt on its proposed reforms.
Dr. Quaicoe further revealed that the EC is however not pleased with maintaining the guarantor system as the system is flawed and brings the credibility of the voter register to question. He indicated that the NDC was not the only entity that was opposed to the use of the Ghana Card as the sole CI for registration as some individuals in the NPP also opposed it citing the poor integration of the Ghana Card as an issue.
Election Budget
Dr. Quaicoe revealed that the budget for the 2024 General Elections has already been approved by Parliament though the money has not been released into the EC’s accounts yet. He however indicated that the operation of the EC has never been constrained by financial limitations.
He assured that the government will release the funds for the various operations leading to the elections as and when it is needed.
“I don’t think we have ever had serious problems with getting our budget for activities. For now, we have no cause to doubt that the money will be released. So let’s put it there if they complain then we know that we are not getting it but our discussions with the Ministries and the rest are positive”.
Dr. Serebour Quaicoe
Moreover, Dr. Quaicoe noted that the EC has been liaising with the Ghana Police Service and other security entities to ensure calm at the polls.
He remarked that constitutionally, the Ghana Police Service is the sole entity responsible for ensuring security at the poll, however, due to its capacity, other colleague agencies like the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Fire Services among others are engaged to help maintain order.
He further stated that the Electoral Commission aims to declare the results of the upcoming 2024 Presidential election within 72 hours. He emphasized that the results could be announced earlier, however it would not exceed the third day after the election has been held.
He indicated that the timeline for declaring the results is dependent on collaboration and support from all stakeholders involved in the electoral process.
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