She however indicated that the Commission has in the last several years been working at “achieving a credible register” especially for the 2016 elections.
Ms. Osei said these and raised several other challenges the commission has had to contend with over the years in coming up with a register that is devoid of all irregularities like ‘Double registration, Multiple registration, Registration of minors and Registration of Foreigners’ amongst others.
Delivering the Electoral Commissions position at the ongoing electoral forum on Ghana’s Voters Register, the EC chair indicated that since 1992, the commission has changed over time by improving the system gradually.
She decried the continuous registration of minors and foreigners which she says require assistance from the entire citizenry, political parties etc to check and prevent.
She further indicated that apart from impersonation, all other allegations – including Double registration, Multiple registration, Registration of Minors, Registration of Foreigners etc – have remained the same since 1992.
She however called for stringent laws and stiffer punishment for minors and their parents who are found to have engaged in an illegality or registering.
In that same vein the EC Chair indicated that some of the concerns raised in the petitions presented to them requires that portions of the country’s laws are amended or changed.
The electoral commission has also indicated that is awaiting a copy of the Togolese register from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to do a comparison with that of the Ghanaian register to ascertain the veracity of the claims of the NPP.
Ms. Osei further assured the NPP that her outfit would definitely respond to the queries and concerns raised by the New Patriotic Party in due time.
By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: NewsyMartin