The Electoral Commission (EC) has indicated it expects to register about 10.5 million people in the next few weeks of the registration exercise.
According to EC’s Deputy Chairperson in Charge Corporate Services Dr Bossman Eric Asare, the recorded 4,445,346 registered constitutes is almost 30% of the projected figure of 15 million that the Commission anticipates to register at the end of the exercise on August 6, 2020.
Dr Bossman Asare disclosed these at Commission’s third session of press briefings on Monday to update the country on the ongoing voter registration exercise country-wide and to provide clarification to pertinent issues.
The Greater Accra Region, he said, leads with 20.9% of the registered voters.
Ashanti Region follows with 18.4%, the Eastern region third at 9.5%, the Central region at 9.4 and the North East region at the bottom with 1.7%.
Dr Bossman Asare noted that if the current trend being witnessed continues, the Greater Accra Region alone will constitute more than 20% of the total registered voters in the country while the numbers from the Central region are a clear indication of population shift towards the Awutu, Effutu and Gomoa areas.
The EC expressed satisfaction at the reported significant improvements in the adherence to the COVId-19 safety protocols, especially social distancing.
This, he said, has been achieved through the provision of chairs for queue management in all our registration centers.
“We are regularly liaising with our Regional and District Officials to ensure that all the protocols are adhered to by all our registration officials and applicants who visit our centers. In spite of the progress we have witnessed, the Commission is still striving for perfection at all our centers,” it said and appealed to the public to abide by the protocols for the success of the registration exercise.
The Commission warned agents of political parties at the registration centres against collecting the voter ID cards of applicants and taking some details from the cards.
This, Dr Bossman Asare warned is not part of the electoral laws and indicated political party agents should desist from doing that and advised registrants not to give their cards out.
He also warned Parliamentary candidates and operatives of political parties to desist from transporting people from one district to the other to register when they know these people are not residents of the districts where they want to register.
Dr Bossman Asare cautioned political party agents not to front for people who are not Ghanaians, indicating that the Commission needs the support of all stakeholders for a clean register.
EC to go back to schools
The EC, he disclosed, is considering going back to secondary schools to register students as reports indicate most of the schools the team visited could not even register 50% of them.
“In our endeavour to ensure that every Ghanaian who qualifies is given the chance to register, the Commission will also have a mop-up registration for all those who will not be captured during the main phases of the registration exercise. Note that we will not disenfranchise anyone who wants to register,” Dr Bossman Asare assured.
He disclosed that the current phase, which began on Sunday and ending on Friday has registration taking place in 6,728 registration centers and the 267 district offices of the Commission.
The Deputy EC Chairperson indicated that it has ramped up the registration with the doubling of the centres and that is likely to witness an increase in the numbers registered on daily basis for the week.
He expressed satisfaction with the performance of its officials and stressed as the registration continues it can only expect the officials to be better in the performance of their work.
