Proposed electoral reforms: NDC to make an official response later today

• The NDC says it will respond to new proposals for electoral reforms by IPAC during a press briefing today

• The NDC has since December 2020 not partaken in any IPAC meeting, giving reasons of bias on the part of the EC for its non-participation in the meetings

• Some smaller parties have however welcomed the news of the NDC's non-participation, describing it as a blessing in disguise.

The opposition National Democratic Congress, will later today, brief the press on some recent electoral reforms proposals made by the Electoral Commission (EC) following a two-day IPAC meeting.

The Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting said it was considering some 21 reforms including closing polls in the future on election days at 3:00pm instead of 5:00pm.

Also, it is considering fastening ballot boxes to tables to avoid snatching, reports 3news.com.

The IPAC meeting was however without the NDC; the party has since the December 7, 2020 elections boycotted activities of the Commission.

The NDC adduces the “lack of candour, odious duplicity, and open bias” as the party’s reasons for no longer participating in the meetings but the EC has described this move as unjustified.

In a recent interview with 3FM, the Director of Training at the EC, Michael Boadu, indicated that the Commission operates an open-door policy and would welcome the NDC if it comes with its reforms.

“The EC has no problem with any party,” he insisted.

He added that “The IPAC invitation was sent to all the parties; if we had deliberately left out the NDC, then there would have been a problem.”

Ahead of the next general elections, the NDC has hinted at capturing its electoral reforms proposal in a document.

“Electoral reforms was a big issue that came up during the party retreat and we are going to table all the reforms we want to see and narrow it down in a paper we would produce for the benefit of the public and the EC as to what we say are the necessary changes we want to see,” Alex Segbefia, a senior member of the Party had said.

But some parties including the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) say the NDC’s absence at IPAC is a blessing in disguise for them.