Issues Raised <\/strong><\/p>\nThe current Register is bloated with illegal entries (minors, foreign nationals, doctored photographs, etc.).<\/p>\n
The need for empirical evidence to prove allegations of bloating.<\/p>\n
The capacity and credibility of the Electoral Commission to undertake effective audit of the Register.<\/p>\n
The specific methodology to be used for auditing the Register.\u00a0 How will the Register be audited? What principles will guide this process? How effective will the methodology be?<\/p>\n
The empirical soundness or reliability of the source data for a new Register. How does one prove to be a citizen of Ghana? What form of identification is authentic and acceptable?<\/p>\n
Cost implications of cleaning the existing Voters Register. How will it be funded?<\/p>\n
Cost implications of compiling a new Voters Register.\u00a0 How will it be funded?<\/p>\n
Political parties and citizenry have not taken full advantage of existing processes to ensure periodic reviews of the Register.<\/p>\n
Ghana currently does not have a codified body of electoral laws to deal with electoral offences.<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDATIONS <\/strong><\/p>\nIt was agreed that there are irregularities with the current Voters Register. All stakeholders must work towards a consensus position on addressing these irregularities. The two main schools of thought on how to resolve the problem of illegal entries in the Register are not mutually exclusive. This is because purging the Register will ultimately result in a new Register, while compiling a new Register will rely on some existing data from the old Register. \u00a0What is critical is that the final output of this exercise must be a Voters Register with an acceptable margin of error.<\/p>\n
The Electoral Commission should demonstrate proactiveness and leadership on this important national issue. It should engage the services of a competent, credible and external organization to conduct independent investigations into allegations of bloating. Though Article 46 of the National Constitution protects the EC from direction or control, it is nevertheless accountable to the citizens because it is a public organization which draws its funds from the Consolidated Fund. It must therefore ensure full transparency and accountability in its work.<\/p>\n
It was agreed that there was the absence of a single codified body on laws dealing with electoral offences in Ghana. The incidence of electoral fraud is rife in Ghana because of this deficiency in its legal regime. Ghana should emulate the example of Kenya by codifying a set of electoral laws which adequately deter electoral fraud. Having adequate electoral laws will ensure that elections are conducted without repeated incidents of illegal registration, ballot box snatching, etc.<\/p>\n
The cost implications of auditing the existing Voters Register or compiling a new Register should not take away from steps to provide a credible and acceptable Register for the 2016 elections. This is because the cost of managing a national crisis resulting from a flawed electoral process will be potentially higher than that of having an acceptable Register.<\/p>\n
Ghana should renew its efforts towards an authentic national identification system for all citizens. This is crucial going forward as it will feed into the process of providing a robust and credible Voters Register.<\/p>\n
Signed<\/strong><\/p>\nMrs. Jean Mensa<\/strong><\/p>\n(Executive Director, IEA)<\/strong><\/p>\n20th<\/sup> October, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n–<\/p>\n
By: Godwin A. Allotey\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n