![\"Ghana](\"http:\/\/ghelections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/vote.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe number of eligible voters in Ghana\u2019s electoral roll for the December 7 polls has hit over 15 million above the 2012 figure of 14 million, according to the Electoral Commission (EC).<\/p>\n
This means about 1.7 million more people have been added to register for the 2016 general election.<\/p>\n
The chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Charlotte Osei gave the total figure of registered voters as 15.8 million during a meeting with the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs in Kumasi, which statistically represents more than 57% of the total population.<\/p>\n
The voter population of over 57% is based on the 2010 Population and Housing Census, and population estimated at 27.4 million people in 2015.<\/p>\n
For a national growth rate of 2.5%, it is argued that Ghana\u2019s voters\u2019 register is bloated because having a voting population of 15.8 million out of a population of 27.4million is \u201cstatistically unacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2012 register was also over 57% of the total population and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) insisted it was bloated.<\/p>\n
Consequently, the main opposition party called for a new register for the 2016 general election but EC failed to grant the party\u2019s request and rather added more eligible voters onto the electoral roll.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the country\u2019s election management body, Charlotte Osei hinted that the new register will be made available to all political parties by close of October.<\/p>\n
She also reiterated that no polling station will have over 850 voters in this year’s elections and that this aimed at easing the ease pressure on the verification and vote counting machines.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe political parties by Friday will get a list of all the polling stations\u2026All of them (political parties) who have brought their hard drives will have a list of the final voters\u2019 register.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe register has now been finalised; we have implemented all the decisions and we are in a good place and so, they (political parties) will have the register at the end of this week. We will probably have an approximately 15,800,000 names thereabout on the register going into the elections,\u201d Charlotte Osei indicated.
\nBarring any additions, only three political parties and an independent candidate would be contesting the December 7, 2016 presidential elections.<\/p>\n
They are the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People\u2019s Party (CPP) and an independent candidate Joseph Osei Yeboah (JOY).<\/p>\n
About 12 other political parties including the Progressive People\u2019s Party (PPP), the National Democratic Party (NDP) and the People\u2019s National Convention (PNC) have been disqualified by the EC.<\/p>\n
However, the PPP, NDP and two others are in court challenging their disqualification and hoping to be included in the list of political parties contesting the upcoming general election.<\/p>\n
Follow the hashtag #GhElections<\/strong> on Social Media for election related stories<\/em><\/p>\n _<\/p>\n By: Awudu Mahama\/ghelections.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The number of eligible voters in Ghana\u2019s electoral roll for the December 7 polls has hit over 15 million above the 2012 figure of 14 million, according to the Electoral Commission (EC). This means about 1.7 million more people have been added to register for the 2016 general election. The chairperson of the EC, Mrs. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":232257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2647,2648,5],"tags":[6177,2356,3],"yoast_head":"\n