The Minority leader in Parliament, Cassiel Ato Forson, has emphasized that the outcome of the recently concluded limited registration exercise has vindicated Parliament’s stance on the use of the guarantor system.
He pointed out that 62% of registrants resorted to the guarantor system due to a lack of a Ghana card.
He argued that the Ghana card while serving as proof of identification, should not be equated to proof of the right to vote or participate in democratic processes.
Addressing a Leaders’ Media Briefing on Wednesday, November 8 in Parliament, Ato Ato Forson urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to collaborate with the National Identification Authority (NIA) to ensure all eligible voters are registered and possess a Ghana card.
He asserted that denying using the guarantor system would disenfranchise numerous ordinary citizens from participating in the democratic process, either as voters or candidates.
This development follows Parliament’s unanimous decision on Friday, March 31, 2023, to reject the EC Constitutional Instrument (CI), which aimed to establish the Ghana card as the sole document for voter registration.
The rejection occurred after the Committee of the Whole presented a report on the draft Public Elections (registration of voters) Regulations, 2023.
The report indicated Parliament’s refusal to accept the proposed CI’s provisions. While the Committee expressed support for efforts to ensure every Ghanaian obtains a Ghana card as mandated by law, it vehemently opposed any attempt to restrict voter eligibility solely to the possession of a Ghana card.
Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, in response to the Minority leader, emphasized that the right to vote, guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution, must be coupled with a proper registration procedure.
He highlighted the EC’s authority to determine this procedure.
Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu acknowledged the importance of the Ghana card for various purposes, including non-voting activities, and emphasized the need to encourage its acquisition.
He stressed the necessity of facilitating resources to educational authorities to promote awareness about the Ghana card, considering the nation’s shift towards a cashless society.