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Prior to the laying of the constitutional amendment that would make the Ghana card the only document used for voter registration in the election of 2024, Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin has called for more engagements from the Electoral Commission.
Given the difficulties in obtaining the Ghana card, lawmakers, particularly those on the minority side, have questioned the electoral commission’s capacity to implement the CI efficiently.
Thus, the Speaker has once again warned the Electoral Commission to consult with the House in great detail before laying the Constitutional Instrument.
“If what I am hearing is anything to go by, the Electoral Commission is giving notice, I believe that is not the case because they know they cannot go on the offensive against an arm of government. We are not just a state institution, we are not an administrative body, this is an arm of government.
“When they talk about the independence of arms, they mean, neither the executive nor the judiciary control either arm… That is what separation of powers is all about. We have to work together because we lead the government. We passed the law to create the Electoral Commission…I hope this is enough notice,” the Speaker stated today at Parliament House.
Ghanaians have received repeated assurances from the Electoral Commission (EC) that it does not intend to utilize the Ghana Card as a form of identification for the 2024 general elections.
It said that it will keep issuing the voter identity cards needed for the elections.
The Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021, a draft constitutional provision, have generated controversy, particularly the provision that intended to make the Ghana Card the only form of identity for qualified voters who wished to enroll on the national register.
However, the C.I. has come under fire from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
claiming that it was never a participant in any discussion or meeting where it was decided to make the Ghana Card the exclusive form of identification for the next restricted voter registration exercise.
As a result, the party has given notice that it would challenge the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to adopt the Ghana Card as the exclusive form of identity for voter registration.
Along with the NDC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, a former chair of the commission, has argued that the C.I. should be reexamined before Parliament gave its approval because any attempt by the EC to use the Ghana Card as the only document for voter registration would result in the disenfranchisement of millions of Ghanaians.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
