A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) which includes Ghanaians Without Ghana Card, Community Focus Foundation Ghana ( CFF-Ghana), and Democratic Credentials Network has warned against any bias in the upcoming 2024 elections.
The group, which held a press conference in Accra, accused some Electoral Commission (EC) officials of engaging in unprofessional behavior and making statements that cast doubt on their impartiality.
The group also expressed its opposition to the proposed shift of the election date to November and the use of the Ghana Card as the only valid document for voter registration.
“We don’t agree with the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to move the voting date from December to November because the EC has failed to do enough publicity on such a decision. The work of the Electoral is to organize elections but not to determine the time the general election will be held,” Richard Kasu said.
The Executive Director for CFF-Ghana Richard Kasu, also argued that millions of qualified electorates will be disenfranchised by the decision.
“Ghanaian citizens don’t lose their citizenship if they are 18 years or older but do not have the Ghana Card. So, the moot question is: why make the Ghana Card the only means of identification for purposes of establishing eligibility to register to vote,” Richard Kasu added.
EC has placed before Parliament a draft C. I titled: Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021, which is expected to regulate continuous voter registration.
Per the new C.I., the EC is seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole form of identification for eligible voters who want to get onto the electoral roll.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has justified its proposal to change the date for both Presidential and Parliamentary elections from December 7 to November 7, 2024.
The EC stated that the proposal, initially put forth by the political parties, aims to allow sufficient time for the commission to effectively manage its operations, particularly in the event of a run-off.
The EC also wants election days to be designated as national holidays to boost public participation in the electoral process.
Source: Richard Obeng Bediako ll Metrotvonline.com
