The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) insists that only a new voters’ register can ensure Ghana has a credible 2020 elections.
The EC since last year has justified why they need to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 general elections.
The EC has said it wants to ensure that the register that is used on the election day is more credible and efficient than the existing one hence the need for a new Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS).
The EC initially scheduled April 18, 2020, for the compilation of the new voters’ register ahead of the December 2020 elections but following the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus in the country it was postponed and a new date has not been announced.
Dr Serebour Quaicoe the Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission, says they are only waiting for the green light from health officials and experts to begin the compilation.
“Are we thinking of not having election 2020, anybody in the Electoral Commission, knowing the resources that we have, knowing the situation of the registers, will go for a new credible register… We are waiting for the lockdown and coronavirus to subside,” Dr Quaicoe said on Joy News.
Meanwhile, the opposition NDC has consistently campaigned against the new voters’ register.
Ghana is currently battling with the novel coronavirus and many have suggested the EC find alternatives to the compilation of the new voters’ register.
Because social distancing is key in the fight against COVID-19 it has become necessary for the EC to suspend its planned exercise.
As of April 15, 2020, Ghana had recorded 641 COVID-19 cases with 83 recoveries and 8 deaths so far.
Source: primenewsghana.com
