Parliament demands further answers from EC over new CI seeking to make Ghana card the primary document for voter registration as majority and minority split heads
Parliament has charged the Electoral Commission (EC) to provide further and better particulars on a new constitutional instrument it is seeking to lay.
The Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2022 is seeking to scrap the guarantor system and make the Ghana card the only proof of nationality for voter registration.
During consideration of the report of the special budget committee following a meeting with the EC over the CI, the Majority and Minority members clashed over the content of the report in respect of the registration of new voters.
The Committee expressed concerns about the intention of the Commission in view of the fact that many Ghanaians who registered for the Ghana card do not have their cards and the potential of disenfranchising eligible voters.
Former minority leader and Tamale South MP Haruna Iddrisu in his contribution to the debate argued the EC must never be allowed to lay the new CI in its current state, arguing the decision to use the Ghana card will disenfranchise many potential voters.
He argued the decision to also restrict continuous registration to the district offices of the EC will be challenging to many potential voters who could be compelled to travel almost 80 kilometers to a designated district office.
He pointed out that the advantage of registering at a polling station is that people get to know where to go and verify their names and where to appear on election day to be able to cast their vote.
The Tamale South MP noted that limiting the registration only to district offices will deny Ghanaians this opportunity, which can also amount to an attempt to deny them their constitutional rights.
MP for Akwapim South OB Amoah questioned the claims of the minority stating the CI has not yet been laid.
He admonished MPs who publicly state the EC will not be allowed to lay the new CI to be careful as that could inflame passions among the citizenry.
He argued that contrary to the effusions of the Minority members, the EC is not seeking to conduct a fresh voter registration exercise but to register Ghanaians who have turned 18.
Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga noted that the Commission has admitted the fundamental consideration driving the decision to abolish the guarantor system in the continuous registration is that it has been subjected to abuse.
He argued, however, that the Ghana Card the EC is seeking to rely on as the only source document allows for the guarantor system after the National Identification Authority (NIA) amended Act 570 because of difficulties the Authority faced without it.
The Bawku Central MP questioned why the EC is so eager to do away with the guarantor system and turn around to run to the NIA for a source document that has been compiled allowing the guarantor system to be used.
Deputy minority whip Ahmed Ibrahim in his contribution stressed that blood was shared before Ghana attained universal adult suffrage and warned against manipulation to take away that right from the Ghanaian people.
He stated that restricting the ability of people to conveniently register and participate in the 2024 election will be very wrong.
“Mr. Speaker I am saying this with my heart bleeding within because if we cannot open and make the electoral process participatory where more Ghanaians, eligible qualified voters in Ghana can have the right to vote…, we must not close the door on them.”
According to him, some members of the Majority have spoken about the expenses involved and the nature of the strenuous effort in carrying out limited voter registration, hence the mischief the EC seeks to cure is embarking upon continuous registration.
The Minority whip argued, however, if that was the reason for introducing the new CI then it is not needed because CI 91 section 9 regulation 9 passed in 2016 made provision for continuous registration.
He called for further consultation not only among members of Parliament but also with civil society groups and political parties to ensure the door is not closed on eligible voters simply because of challenges that are not their fault.
Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu contributing to the debate condemned effusions by members of the Minority arguing they poisoned the atmosphere with claims the EC had brought a CI to Parliament seeking to disenfranchise some voters.
The EC, he said, is not seeking to compile a new voter’s register but to get people who have attained the voting age and those who were unable to register during the last registration to do so.
He averred that the continuous registration is what the Commission is going to use to rope in the eligible voters who need to be captured on the register and stressed, “Those who have been captured and their names are already on the register, the EC cannot go back to re-register them.”
The CI, he said, has not been laid and condemned the minority for misrepresenting the import of Article 42 of the Constitution, which provides that every citizen of Ghana 18 years and above and of sound mind has the right to vote.
According to him, it does not mean an individual can just walk to a polling station and demand to be allowed to vote during an election but must submit themselves for registration first.
He assured the government will make resources available to the NIA to complete the Ghana card registration exercise for the 3.5 million unregistered Ghanaians so the nation can move from there.