Elelction 2020: EC must brief Parliament on preparations – Minority leader
The Minority leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, is demanding from the Electoral Commission an update on its preparedness and readiness for election 2020.
According to him, the Electoral Commission must present its road map to Members of Parliament amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has compelled the government to freeze social gatherings.
“The Constitution requires that presidential and parliamentary elections be held this year even as we struggle with COVID_19. The independent Electoral Commission created under Article 45 of this constitution owes this country and Members of Parliament an explanation.”
“They have to be summoned to give us their road map as to their preparedness. They need to appraise this House on their level of preparedness for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary election. If we cannot get them to brief the Committee, on the whole, they have to come to the Special Budget Committee,” he said.
Suspension of new register compilation
The EC was forced to suspend indefinitely plans to compile a new voters register which was scheduled to begin on April 18, due to COVID-19.
The EC had said it is collaborating with health experts to decide on a more favourable date depending on the prevalence rate of the novel coronavirus.
Alleged EC workshop
Just recently, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) filed a complaint at the Airport Police Command over an alleged meeting held by the EC at the City Escape Hotel in Accra.
The EC had announced a national planning meeting and key trainers training workshop to prepare and plan for the upcoming voter registration exercise ahead of the 2020 general election.
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The programme was scheduled to take place from 24th to 29th April 2020 at the City Escape Hotel, Prampram, in the Greater Accra Region.
But the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam Nartey George, secured an injunction to stop the workshop from being held.
The injunction was meant to be in place from April 24, 2020, to April 27, 2020.
The party filed the complaint about suspicions that the said meeting was a conference by the EC which the court stopped from taking place.