The Law Society of Ghana has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to reconsider its position on the limited voter registration exercise being conducted across the country.
The Society’s call follows the nationwide difficulties associated with the exercise, including the malfunctioning and non-functioning equipment deployed by the EC.
In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, the Society said the EC’s decision to restrict the limited voter registration exercise to only district offices and the reported widespread malfunctioning of registration machines presented significant challenges to the integrity and sanctity of the electoral process as a whole.
“We believe that a fair and inclusive electoral process is fundamental to the progress of a society and access to vote registration should be convenient and free from unnecessary and avoidable artificial hindrances.”
“Limiting voter registration to district offices can create barriers, self-inflicting bottlenecks for eligible voters, particularly those residing in remote or underserved areas making it difficult or near impossible for them to exercise their right to register and vote,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has noted that it will keenly monitor the ongoing limited voter registration exercise despite the party’s suit against the Electoral Commission.
The NDC on Tuesday, September 12, accused the Electoral Commission of making the voter registration process difficult at its strongholds.
The ongoing limited voter registration is targeted to register over 1.3 million persons who have turned 18 years old since the last registration exercise in 2020.
The 21-day exercise began on Tuesday, September 12, and is scheduled to end on October 2.
Addressing the press, the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said members of the party will monitor the exercise to ensure that the process is not manipulated by the EC.
“We are ready, very ready but we care for the poor registrants who must cater for the costs and constraints of being registered to vote. We currently have our agents and officers in all 268 district offices of the Electoral Commission countrywide and we are keenly and actively monitoring the process.
“We will ensure that the manipulation of the EC and the NPP to rig the process are defeated and defeated soundly.”
