Accra, May 15, GNA – The Electoral Commission has denied the allegation that it is conspiring with a political party or institution as being speculated by Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to rig the elections.
A statement signed by Mrs Syvia Annoh, the Acting Director of Public Affairs and copied to the Ghana News Agency said the Commission would ensure that electoral processes remain transparent at all levels.
It said the EC as an independent body, was mandated to conduct free, fair and transparent elections within the confines of the law and will continue to perform its functions as such without fear or favour.
The statment said the Commission found it imperative to amend the CI 91, which was in Parliament for applicants to resort to the use of the Ghanaian Passport and the Ghana Card to aid in the elimination of unqualified names in the register.
It said an applicant who does not have the Ghana card or Passport may resort to obtaining two guarantors to facilitate their registration and therefore, the exclusion of the Voter ID card as a requirement will not lead to suppression of votes.
The statement said, the new CI, if passed by parliament, would afford guarantors the opportunity to guarantee for upwards of 10 applicants instead of five as stipulated in the current CI.
It said it would make it possible for applicants without Ghana card and passports to also register.
The statement said the Commission did not require the services of Commissioners of Oath during the registration of voters as alluded to by Mr Ofosu-Ampofo.
“It must be put on record that the Ghana card has been a requirement in the current CI since 2012. The Birth Certificate has never been used as a requirement since 1995 because it does not contain a photograph for purposes of identification,” it said.
The statement noted that no illegality was perpetuated in respect of the selection of Thales (DIS) as the vendor since all the relevant processes were executed in strict adherence to the procurement law and in a transparent manner.
It said irrespective of the fact that the Commission had expressed its intention to rely on the NIA’s data for compilation of future Voters’ Registration exercises, this intention did not by any stretch of imagination preclude the use of the Ghana card as a requirement for the upcoming registration exercise as it had always been a requirement under the CI since 2012.
On the issues of registration during COVID-19 outbreak, the statement said it would strictly adhere to the safety protocols spelt out by the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health.
“The cluster system was adopted in 2012 for the Voters’ Registration exercise and this system did not lead to overcrowding. It is therefore astonishing that the NDC is claiming otherwise since this system does not seek to do away with registration at each polling station,” it said.
GNA