Arrest and prosecute culprits registering illegal persons – EC tells police
The Electoral Commission (EC) has urged the Ghana Police Service to arrest individuals registering minors and foreigners in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.
Speaking at a press briefing on Monday, May 13, Deputy Chair of the Commission, Dr Bossman Asare, emphasised the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the country’s voter register and that any attempts to tamper with it must be addressed swiftly.
He stressed that eligible individuals should be allowed to register to vote, but the registration of minors and foreigners undermines the democratic process.
Dr Bossman Asare believes arresting and prosecuting anyone found engaging in such illegal registration activities will deter future attempts to compromise the integrity of the process.
“We continue to receive reports that minors and non-Ghanaians are being encouraged by certain persons who are members of political parties to register as voters. The Commission has seen a report from the Western Region, specifically in Mpohor, where some two persons who allegedly facilitated the registration of five minors have been apprehended by the Police. We wish to use this opportunity to urge parents especially to dissuade their children who are less than 18 years old from registering as voters.
“Similarly, we beseech the national leadership of the political parties to discourage their executives in the regions and the constituencies from transporting minors and foreigners to the registration centres. The objective of the Commission, as always, has been to have a credible register for the 2024 elections.
“We believe the political parties, as the main stakeholders in the general elections, must be dedicated to supporting a credible register as well. Consequently, we find attempts by parties to support the registration of minors and foreigners completely unacceptable and aimed at undermining the country’s electoral democracy. We urge the Police to apply the laws on those who have been apprehended to serve as a deterrent to others in the enterprise of facilitating the registration of minors and foreigners,” he said.
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The registration exercise which began on May 7 will last for 21 days, targeting 623,000 first-time voters nationwide.
Ghanaians who have attained age 18 and other adult citizens who do not have voter identification cards can participate in the exercise to enable them to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections later this year.
The EC intends to submit the provisional voter register to the political parties between July 9 and 18, 2024, and mount an exhibition of the voter register between July 15 and 24, 2024.
The final voter register is expected to be submitted to the political parties between August 30 and September 5, 2024.
A total of 3,277 EC personnel have been engaged for the registration exercise, which will end on May 27, 2024.
Registration will take place in all 268 district offices of the commission and an additional 785 centres to accommodate those who may find it difficult to access the district offices.