IDEG joins voters register debate

The Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) and the Civic Forum Initiative (CFI), have joined the ongoing debate for the Electoral Commission (EC) to assess the accuracy of the existing biometric voters’ register.

According to the two groups, the EC needed to constitute an impartial taskforce to undertake a critical assessment of the 2012 biometric voters’ register and propose solutions to address the persistent problems that undermine public trust and confidence in the integrity of the register as well as the EC.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Major General Nii Carl Coleman (Rtd), Chairman for CFI said Ghana needed to resolve the issues surrounding the voters’ register in order to obtain a trustworthy and lasting register for the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections and beyond.

“The taskforce should also verify the counter –claims and report on the overall health and transparent assessment of the said claims that the EC and nation would be better informed to make the hard choices needed to secure a credible voters’ register not only for the 2016 elections but other future elections.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia recently made some revelations about flaws detected in the country’s current voters’ register which sparked a heated debate with the National Democratic Congress ( NDC).

Major General Coleman (Rtd) recounted that since 1992, there had not been any presidential and parliamentary elections without controversies recurring between the NDC or NPP with each alleging that the voters’ register had been bloated in favour of its opponent.

“The NDC did so in2008; the NPP is doing so now. In 2012 there appeared to have been no disagreement about the voters’ register. So the political parties especially collaborated with the EC in producing the 2012 biometric voters’ register.”

“Contrary to the general expectation that going biometric would cure the problem of bloated voters’ register at source, it has become increasingly clear that the biometric register produced at a cost of GH¢ 297 million has in less than 4 years failed to do so,” he added.

Dr. Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director for IDEG stated that the debate for the assessment of the voters’ register should be devoid of politicization, which may trigger hasty, poorly informed and premature decisions.

“Already those who share the view that a new register is needed risk being branded as supporters of the NPP while those who prefer that the existing register is reviewed and upgraded will swiftly be seen as supporters of the NDC. If care is not taken the politicization may sustain short-lived political compromises but not necessarily enduring solution that advances the national interest,” Dr. Akwetey said.