A coalition of Civil Society Organizations has also opposed the Electoral Commission’s decision to compile a new voters’ register for the upcoming general elections.
At a press conference in Accra Thursday, the (18) CSOs said the decision by the EC to introduce a new voter management system ahead of the general election is unnecessary.
The CSOs include the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), IMANI Africa, SEND Ghana, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF).
The CSOs in a seven-page statement provides at least 10 reasons to back its position and has challenged the Electoral Commission to debate them on the issues.
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The group says the EC has pointed to the technical vulnerability of the current register, it has failed to demonstrate that the existing one is defective. They say it is not good enough for the EC to base its position solely on the view of one vendor.
The group also cast doubt on the cost implications of refurbishing the existing BVD and BVR tablets. The EC has said it will cost.
EC’s Eminent Advisory Committee to meet IPAC members over new voters’ register
The 21-Eminent Advisory Committee of the Electoral Commission(EC) say they will meet members of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee(IPAC) to have further deliberations on the intended compilation of a new voters register.
The decision comes after agitations from the largest opposition party, the NDC, other political parties and Civil Society Organizations for the EC to rescind its intention of compiling a new register for the upcoming 2020 elections.
A press release issued after a meeting between the committee and the EC signed by the Committee Chairman Justice Emile Short urged political parties to remain calm in the wake of the controversy over the decision to compile a new voters register.
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“The Electoral Commission on Wednesday 15th January 2020 held a meeting with members of the Eminent Advisory Committee to outline the justification for the procurement of a new Biometric Voter Management System and the compilation of the new voters register for the 2020 general elections.”
“At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the electoral commission and the eminent advisory committee will meet members of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee to have further deliberations on the matter.
Full statement below :
