KEY POINTS
- EC rejects NDC’s call for an independent forensic audit of the voters register.
- The Commission defends the public exhibition process as the appropriate method to address discrepancies.
- NDC urged to provide data on claimed discrepancies for further review.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has dismissed the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s demand for an independent forensic audit of the voters register, calling the request “misguided” and “premature.” The EC emphasized that it is an independent body and that the ongoing public exhibition of the provisional voters register (PVR) is part of the standard process to address any errors or discrepancies that may arise.
According to the Commission, the issues highlighted by the NDC are not new, as the EC had already identified them during the public exhibition phase and was actively working to resolve them.
EC’s response to NDC’s concerns
The EC explained that the discrepancies raised by the NDC, such as missing names or incorrect information, can be resolved through the processes outlined in the Constitutional Instrument for the Registration of Voters (C.I. 91) and its updated version, C.I. 126. These legal frameworks anticipate potential discrepancies following a registration exercise and provide remedies to address them.
These remedies include adding omitted names, removing unqualified voters, correcting registration details like spelling errors, age, or gender, and amending misplaced polling station codes. “The law provides a framework to correct such errors, and the public exhibition of the register is part of this process,” the EC stated.
NDC’s protest plans criticized
At a media briefing titled “Let the Citizens Know,” Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, Mr. Samuel Tettey, addressed the NDC’s planned street protests, stating that protesting was not the appropriate way to resolve the issue. According to a report by Graphic Online, he emphasized that the EC had repeatedly requested the NDC to provide specific data on the discrepancies they claimed to have found, but the party had not yet done so.
“We have asked the NDC to submit the data on their claims, so we can compare it with the findings from the public exhibition process. The EC has been working on these issues, but so far, we have not received the data from the NDC,” Tettey said.
Voter registration process and legal framework
The EC reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a transparent and accurate voters register ahead of upcoming elections. The Commission reiterated that discrepancies are common in large-scale voter registration processes, and the law provides a structured method to resolve such issues.
The public exhibition of the provisional register is an essential part of this process, allowing political parties and citizens to identify any mistakes or discrepancies. The EC urged all stakeholders to engage constructively and follow the laid-out legal procedures rather than resort to protests.
