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Tag: Electoral Commission

  • October 7: EC to exhibit voter register for one-day registration

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced October 7, 2020, as the date for the exhibition of the voter register for Ghanaian citizens who took part in the recent one-day voter’s registration exercise.

    The one-day exercise will take place from 7 am to 6 pm, the EC said in a public announcement.

    The Commission also urged all persons who took part in the exercise to go to the District Offices where they registered to check their names and ensure that all their details are properly captured.

    It will be recalled that the voter register was re-opened on October 1 to enable those who have attained the age of 18 and citizens who were not able to register to do so.

    However, during the exercise, a number of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits at some centres issued applicants with identification (ID) numbers that had already been issued.

    In a statement, the EC explained that the error had been corrected.

    It said the affected applicants would be contacted and issued with new ID cards with unique numbers.

    “It is important to note that, the biometric and biographic details of the affected applicants are intact,” the statement added.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Anomalies characterise one-day voter registration – EC urges calm

    The one-day voter registration exercise on Thursday, October 1 was fraught with anomalies at some centres.

    According to the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) some of the biometric voter registration (BVR) kits issued voter identity numbers that have already been issued to some of the applicants.

    “This error has been corrected,” the Commission said in a statement at the end of the exercise.

    “The affected applicants will be contacted and issued with new ID cards with unique numbers.”

    The anomalies with the voter register has been a grave source of concern for the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), for which reason its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, and his running mate, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, suspended their campaigns. They have since resumed.

    But the EC assured that all those anomalies have been rectified with the missing names restored.

    Its Chair, Jean Mensa, told journalists last week that the errors have been reduced to barely 7,000 from 60,000.

    In the latest reported cases, the EC assured that “the biometric and biographic details of the affected applicants are intact”.

    Source: 3 News

  • Voter ID numbers duplicated during one-day voter registration exercise

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has indicated that there was the duplication of some voter ID numbers during the registration process earlier on October 1.

    “It has come to the attention of the Commission that a number of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits at some Registration Centres have issued Applicants with Voter ID numbers that have already been issued,” the EC said in a statement.

    But the commission added that “this error has been corrected.”

    The affected applicants will be contacted and issued with new ID cards with unique numbers,” according to the commission.

    “It is important to note that, the biometric and biographic details of the affected Applicants are intact,” the EC assured further.

    The electoral roll was opened from 7 am to 6 pm at its district offices for persons who could not participate in the mass registration exercise organised in June and July.

    Some of the people who participated are voters who were outside the country due to COVID-19 restrictions, those who were under a 14-day mandatory quarantine and could not take part in the mass voter registration, and eligible voters who were duly issued voter ID cards but whose names are missing from the register under exhibition.

    Persons who recently turned 18 were also given the chance to register.

    The Public Elections Regulations law indicated that the EC can “include in the register of voters, the name of a person who qualifies for registration as a voter and is registered but shall not include in the register of voters the name of a person who qualifies to register as a voter for an election but who registers less than sixty days to that election.”

    Find below the full statement

    Source: citinewsroom

  • Our database does not contain any duplicates currently – EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) says all duplicate voter identification numbers that were detected during the just-ended voter registration exercise have been “remedied” and the affected applicants have been re-issued new numbers.

    According to the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, the duplicates occurred because the registration kits were offline hence all voter ID numbers were issued independently.

    She said 88,000 duplicates were detected when the national data came together online and that the Commission was in the process of handing over the new ID cards with the new numbers to the affected voters.

    Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, September 28, Mrs Mensa said political parties and their agents would be invited to monitor the re-issuance of the said duplicate ID cards.

    Reasons for duplicates

    The Chairperson explained that the duplicates were recorded because some registration kits had the same unique code.

    “To prevent the duplication of voter ID numbers, each kit is given a unique code. What we realised during the registration was that in instances where the registration kits become faulty, they were withdrawn from the field and a new one was sent to the field and the same code was put on the new one,” Mrs Mensa said.

    “The same code as the one withdrawn was placed on the new one. However, when the faulty kit was brought back to the field, that code was not changed and so you realised that we had two kits with the same code and this meant that they would produce the same ID numbers”.

    She said the current voter database does not contain any duplicate voter ID numbers.

    “Some 88,000 applicants were affected overall. The Commission has remedied this and contacted a good number of them during the registration. We are currently reissuing new Voter ID Cards to them. It must be emphasized that the data base does not contain any duplicates as this has been remedied.”

    “In the spirit of transparency, the Commission has instructed its officials to allow Political Parties and their agents to monitor the distribution of the duplicate cards to the affected persons.”

    Repeated pictures

    Mrs Mensa also assured that registers which contained recurring pictures were as a result of corrupted data which had been resolved by the EC.

    She said the corrupted images did not affect the validity of registered persons.

    Source: Peace FM

  • Electoral Commission to reopen voters register on October 1

    The Electoral Commission of Ghana has announced it will on Thursday, October 1, 2020, reopen the just compiled voters register for one day.

    According to the Commission, the exercise will afford the opportunity for persons above the ages of 18 and citizens who were not able to register in the main the exercise to do so.

    “The Registration will take place in the district in the district offices nationwide and will start from 7am to 6pm,” a statement from the EC read.

    Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission says it has successfully retrieved the names of “valid electorate” that it initially failed to capture into the provisional register that was recently compiled.

    Speaking at press briefing on Monday, September 28, 2020, Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, indicated that the register has since been updated electronically with the data that was retrieved.

    This comes after the opposition National Democratic Congress alleged that some 7,000 names of applicants have been deliberately removed from the register.

    But the EC refuted the claims and insisted that voters who duly registered and were issued with Voter ID Cards but cannot find their names on the provisional register, can rectify the situation during the just ended voters exhibition exercise.

    Read the statement below:

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • 88,000 duplication detected in voters register rectified – EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has indicated that it has rectified all duplicate voter identification numbers that were detected during the just-ended voter registration exercise.

    Addressing a press conference on Monday, Chairperson, Jean Mensa explained that the duplicates occurred because the registration kits were offline hence all voter ID numbers were issued independently.

    She said 88,000 duplicates were detected when the national data came together online.

    The EC she announced has taken steps to issue new ID cards with the new numbers to the affected voters.

    She added that political parties and their agents would be invited to monitor the re-issuance of the said duplicate ID cards.

    She assured Ghanaians that all those who have been affected would vote on December 7.

    She further disclosed that the duplicates were recorded because some registration kits had the same unique code.

    “To prevent the duplication of voter ID numbers, each kit is given a unique code. What we realised during the registration was that in instances where the registration kits become faulty, they were withdrawn from the field and a new one was sent to the field and the same code was put on the new one,” Mrs Mensah said.

    “The same code as the one withdrawn was placed on the new one. However, when the faulty kit was brought back to the field, that code was not changed and so you realised that we had two kits with the same code and this meant that they would produce the same ID numbers”.

    She said the current voter database does not contain any duplicate voter ID numbers.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • Religious leaders urge EC to engage stakeholders on voter register

    The Eminent Persons Group of Religious Leaders (EPG) and the Christian Council of Ghana have called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to provide an enabling environment for all major stakeholders to engage more in the electoral processes.

    That, they said, would help to avoid suspicion on the part of all the critical stakeholders.

    The EPG has also appealed to Ghanaians and the political parties to assist the EC in any way possible to facilitate a smooth compilation of the final voter register in the run-up to the December 7 elections.

    A statement signed by the Rt. Reverend Professor J.O.Y. Mante, Chairman of the EPG, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said both the Christian Council and the EPG believed that the just ended voter exhibition exercise would help correct the mistakes identified.

    It said by law, the EC was required to publish the voter register for the electorate to validate their details.

    It said the voter exhibition exercise also offered an opportunity to correct entries and to challenge the exclusion of eligible and inclusion of ineligible persons “before the EC publishes the certified voter register.”

    The statement, however, said the EPG and the Christian Council had also taken note of the complaints by some political parties, typically the National Democratic Congress, as well as the response by the EC of the seemingly large numbers of registrants, who could not find their names on the provisional voters list.

    It, therefore, urged the EC to welcome any such complaints and assuage the fears of disenfranchising any registered voter.

    “Additionally, the EC must fully involve IPAC and other key stakeholders in all the processes to avoid situations that we are witnessing at this time when the election is so close,” the statement said.

    “We call on the media to support the process and avoid sensationalism.”

    Source: GNA

  • EC detects 88,000 duplicate voter ID cards in register

    The Electoral Commission (EC) says all duplicate voter identification numbers that were detected during the just-ended voter registration excercise have been “remedied” and the affected applicants have been re-issued new numbers.

    According to the Chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, the duplicates occurred because the registration kits were offline hence all voter ID cards were issued independently.

    She said 88,000 duplicates were detected and that the Commission was in the process of issuing new ID cards.

    Addressing a press conference in Accra on Monday, September 28, Mrs Mensa said political parties and their agents would be invited to monitor the re-issuance of the said duplicate ID cards.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • EC official reportedly dies in okada accident

    An Electoral Commission officer in the voters register exhibition exercise died from a motor/okada accident on Friday, September 25, 2020.

    The women identified as Sylvia was a teacher at Manso Adubia DA JHS but was temporarily working as an EC official following the coronavirus pandemic which has hit the country leaving people with no jobs.

    The accident occurred at a village in the Amansie south district where she was on duty at the All Days (Nnyanyinase) Electoral Area.

    According to an eye witness report, Sylvia fell off the Okada she picked after the driver of the motorbike tried to overtake a sprinter bus.

    The late EC official was allegedly returning home when she met her untimely death.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • EC urged to publish names of defective ID cards on website

    Former President John Mahama has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to publish in full all names of applicants with defective ID cards on its website to ensure transparency in the voter exhibition exercise.

    Mr Mahama expressed concern about the many irregularities which had characterised the ongoing voter exhibition exercise including omission of names, duplication of numbers, and wrong identities of registrants.

    He stated that these anomalies if not resolved, would lead to political unrest, which may affect the country’s democratic values.

    The former President said this on Thursday at a press conference in Accra to expressed the party’s dissatisfaction about irregularities at the ongoing voter exhibition exercise.

    The exercise started from Friday, September 18 to 25, 2020 but was extended to Sunday, September 27 at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee on September 24.

    He said selected exhibition centres in the Greater Accra, Central, Ashanti, Savannah, Volta and other Regions have witnessed anomalies which needed urgent attention to rectify the problem to avoid any untoward situation.

    He said some EC officials were seen on social media printing new voter’s cards to individuals with duplicate ID cards numbers, without the notice of the political parties.

    He said the conduct of the EC had generated anxiety from the public that the December polls would not be free and fair elections.

    “These warning signs do not augur well for the country, we will resist any form of intimidation from all quarters because the sovereign power comes from the people,” he said.

    Mr Mahama called on the Commission to begin a regular comprehensive and transparent dialogue with the Inter-Party Advisory Committee to resolve any electoral flaws ahead of the December polls.

    He said over the years, the EC had had a cordial relationship with IPAC and assisted the Commission to carry out its constitutional duties and ensured general acceptance of election results.

    Mr Mahama said the EC had ignored in recent times valuable advice from IPAC which had necessitated these occurrences in the electoral processes leading to the elections.

    He said the party would not accept the results of a flawed election from the Commission.

    He appealed to International Election Observers to focus their attention on Ghana and to monitor the country’s electoral processes.

    Mr Mahama appealed to Ghanaians to visit the exhibition centres stations with their ID cards and ensure that their details were accurate in the register.

    He urged the party’s executive to suspend all campaigns and monitor the voter exhibition exercise to avoid any form of manipulations.

    Reacting to the issues, the Commission in a statement on September 21, explained that during the just ended registration exercise, few centres experienced the production of duplicate ID cards which resulted from registration kits bearing the same codes.

    Source: GNA

  • Ghana mulls second-round voter registration for general election

    The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana is considering a second round of voter registration for specific groups ahead of the general election in December, officials said on Thursday.

    The EC told party representatives at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting that the supplementary registration would target three categories of eligible voters.

    Those targeted include people who were outside the country during the COVID-19 restrictions, those who were under a 14-day mandatory quarantine and could not take part in the mass voter registration, and eligible voters who have duly issued voter identity cards but whose names are missing from the register on exhibition.

    However, representatives of the ruling New Patriotic Party and opposition National Democratic Congress at the IPAC meeting held that those going to register in the supplementary activity would not be able to vote in the December elections because their registration would not meet the statutory 60-day period before elections.

    Local media reported that an ongoing exhibition has revealed flaws in the provisional register, as some people who duly registered, could not find their names on the list.

    Source: News Ghana

  • EC contemplating new voter registration for specific groups

    The Electoral Commission is contemplating organising a fresh voter registration exercise for specific groups of eligible voters.

    These groups include people who were outside the country due to the COVID-19 restrictions, those who were under a 14-day mandatory quarantine and could not take part in the mass voter registration, and eligible voters who were duly issued voter ID cards but whose names are missing from the register.

    This was revealed by the EC at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held today, Thursday, 24 September 2020.

    The two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), however, agreed that such persons cannot vote in the December polls even if they are captured onto the voter roll.

    This is because their registration will not meet the statutory 60-day period before elections.

    The NDC Director of IT, Kwame Osei Agyeman-Griffiths, also wondered whether the Commission would do a second round of exhibition to validate such voters, too.

    Peter Mac Manu, Manager of the NPP campaign, represented the governing party.

    Source: Class FM

  • Flashback: EC must not be a power onto itself – Kufuor

    In 2013, former President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor, advised the Electoral Commission from spearheading the electoral reforms.

    John Agyekum Kufuor made this comment after the Electoral Commission asked political parties to present their ideas geared towards electoral reforms in the country ahead of the 2016 general elections.

    Addressing the media at an IEA post-Supreme Court Verdict lecturer in Accra, Kufuor said: “You cannot arrogate yourself, you cannot correct yourself easily; the Electoral Commission is not power onto itself.”

    “The EC is an organ of an institution to the people and so cannot jumpstart the process of asking parties to send in proposals for reforms.”

    Read the full story originally published on August 26, 2018 on GhanaWeb

    Former President Kufuor has lashed out at the Electoral Commission for asking for proposals from political parties geared towards electoral reforms.

    According to him, even though the EC must be involved in the reform process, it must not arrogate the power of spearheading the reforms onto itself.

    The former president made this known to the media at an IEA post Supreme Court Verdict Lecture in Accra.

    He argued, “You cannot arrogate yourself, you cannot correct yourself easily; the electoral commission is not power onto itself. The EC is an organ of institution to the people and so cannot jumpstart the process of asking parties to send in proposals for reforms”

    President Kufuor said he expected political parties, academia, to come forward with ideas on reformation of the electoral processes without an invitation from the EC.

    Former President of South Africa, W.F. de-Clerk, who also spoke at the lecture suggested that a commission of enquiry be set up on what reforms are needed.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • EC extends voters exhibition exercise by two days

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has extended the voters exhibition exercise by two days.

    This, according to the commission, is aimed at serving the interest of its stakeholders and promote greater participation and inclusion.

    By this, the exercise which started last Friday, September 18, would end on Sunday, September 27, 2020.

    A statement issued by the EC on Wednesday said, “The Commission is of the view that this extension will allow even more stakeholders to check and verify their voter registration details. This is instrumental for the achievement of a clean and credible Voters Register.

    “The last day of the Exhibition Exercise will therefore be Sunday 27th September, 2020. We encourage the Public to take advantage of the extension by making time to verify their registration details.”

    It also encouraged voters to verify their registration details by sending their Voter ID Numbers to the Short Code 1422.

    Meanwhile the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed dissatisfaction in the voter exhibition exercise.

    According to the Flagbearer of the party, Mr John Mahama, the ongoing voter register exhibition has been fraught with “so much disorder, anarchy and chaos”.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • EC extends voters exhibition exercise

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has extended the Voters Exhibition Exercise from Friday 25th September to Sunday 27th September 2020.

    This according to the election management body is part of efforts to serve the interest of its stakeholders and promote greater participation and inclusion.

    The Commission said it is of the view that the extension will allow even more stakeholders to check and verify their voter registration details.

    “This is instrumental for the achievement of a clean and credible Voters Register,” the EC said in a statement.

    The last day of the exhibition exercise will, therefore, be Sunday 27th September 2020.

    The Commission has encouraged the public to take advantage of the extension by making time to verify their registration details.

    Voters may verify their registration details by visiting their exhibition centres or by sending their Voter ID Numbers to the Short Code 1422.

    The exhibition exercise has, however, witnessed several anomalies including duplication of names, missing names and similar serial numbers for different voters.

    The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has expressed worry over the anomalies but the EC says the exhibition is meant to correct such irregularities describing it as “normal”.

    Source: Class FM

  • EC reacts: Allegations regarding removal of NDC supporters from voters register ‘unfounded’

    The Electoral Commission has said that the allegations that it was removing the names of supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from the voters register ahead of Election 2020 was “unfounded.”

    In a press statement issued Wednesday evening, [September 23, 2020], the EC said, “Our attention has been drawn to statements in the media by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer to the effect that the Electoral Commission is carrying out an agenda to remove the names of its supporters and sympathisers from the Voters Register.”

    “This allegation is false,” the EC said in the press statement.

    The NDC flagbearer, Mr John Dramani Mahama and his running mate, Prof Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang on Tuesday cut short their campaign tours in the Bono and Central regions respectively.

    They explained that they were returning to Accra to address issues of challenges with the provisional voters register for Election 2020.

    Mr Mahama has scheduled a press address on Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 1pm to speak on what he terms as “widespread anomalies” in the provisional voters register for Election 2020, which the Electoral Commission is currently exhibiting.

    His spokesperson, James Agyenim-Boateng has explained that the address will focus on the “integrity challenges of the electoral process and unfolding events that threaten to undermine Ghana’s stability and democracy.”

    EC’s reaction

    But reacting to the allegations, the Electoral Commission said it has, from the beginning of the compilation of the Voters Register, lived up to its motto of “Fairness, Transparency and Accountability.”

    It explained that at every point, it has provided factual, accurate and evidence based information to its stakeholders on voter statistics per region, district, gender, age among others.

    It added that to date every interested Ghanaian has information on the number of persons who registered in the just concluded Voter Registration Exercise based on the information the Commission provided.

    “It is a paradox, therefore, to suggest that the same Commission now seeks to remove persons from the Voters Register. Had that been the agenda of the Commission, it would not have given detailed information to Stakeholders throughout the Registration process. We assure the general public that these allegations are unfounded.”

    The EC explained that the exhibition of the Provisional Voters Register has been provided for in the Law (C.I. 91) and that the Law recognising that a registration process is not full proof, has provided a mechanism called “Exhibition” to allow citizens to verify their details to ensure that they are captured in the register or that their details such as sex, age, name are accurate.

    It said the Exhibition also affords voters the opportunity to correct errors detected.

    “Additionally, the Law provides for inclusion to allow persons who registered but whose names are not on the register, to file to be included in the register.”

    According to the Electoral Commission, “this process is not new and has always formed part of our processes.”

    It said in a nutshell, the exhibition exercise provides an opportunity to stakeholders to unearth problems with the register for the purpose of fixing it.

    This, it said was exactly what the EC was doing. “We are fixing the issues unearthed.”

    “We assure the public that the Commission is working to ensure the margin of error with the Voters Register is negligible. We are confident that at the end of the process, we will bequeath the nation with a register that reflects truth and integrity, a register that is credible and comprises eligible Ghanaians only. May God bless our homeland Ghana and make our nation great and strong. Let Peace Reign,” the EC stated.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Mahama to speak on ‘widespread anomalies’ in provisional voters register

    Former President John Dramani Mahama will on Thursday, September 24, 2020 speak on what he terms as “widespread anomalies” in the provisional voters register for Election 2020, which the Electoral Commission is currently exhibiting.

    A press statement issued by Mahama’s Campaign Spokesman, James Agyenim-Boateng said Mr Mahama will speak to the nation from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) headquarters in Accra at 1pm.

    He said the address will focus on the “integrity challenges of the electoral process and unfolding events that threaten to undermine Ghana’s stability and democracy.”

    “Both Mr Mahama and his vice presidential candidate, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, have suspended their tours of the Bono and Central Regions respectively following reports of widespread anomalies in the Electoral Commission’s provisional voters register, which is currently on exhibition at the polling stations throughout the country,” the statement said.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Let My Vote Count chides EC for voter register anomalies

    Pressure group Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) is advising the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) to desist from using cluster systems in subsequent voter registrations.

    This, according to the group, would help avoid double registration and improper deletion of names from the register.

    They have blamed the EC and ascribed the alleged double registration and missing of names from the current voter register to the use of the cluster system of registration.

    Director of Operations for LMVCA John Hall, speaking on the Yensempa morning show on Onua FM on Wednesday, September 23 censured the EC for grouping polling centers during the registration exercise instead of allowing people to register at their polling centers.

    He wants EC to henceforth stop using the cluster system during registration exercises to avoid double registration and unpardonable errors in the voters register.

    “I will advise the EC that going forward they should stop using cluster systems of registration to avoid needless errors which create unnecessary tension during election periods.”

    He told host Anokyewaaba Adwoa Serwaa that people feel “ostracized” in the ongoing voter exhibition exercise because of the fact that their names might have been moved to different polling centers.

    And this, according to him, is as a result of how EC grouped polling centers during the registration exercise.

    John Hall, however, believes the EC has competent officers who can swiftly rectify and improve the voter register to salvage the situation.

    He urged EC to extend the voters register exhibition by two more days to allow its officials deal with the situation in allowing disgruntled applicants to find their names in the register and locate their polling centers ahead of December 7 polls.

    He thus entreated the general public to exercise patience at polling centers and ably cooperate with the EC officials to help identify their names and locate voting centers.

    Source: 3 News

  • EC Filing Fee: Akua Donkor deposits GH¢100,000 to show readiness

    The Electoral Commission (EC) on Monday, September 14, 2020, opened online nominations for presidential and parliamentary aspirants for the December 7th general elections.

    The commission fixed the filing fee for presidential aspirants at GH¢100,000 and that for parliamentary aspirants at GH¢10,000.

    The figure for the presidential aspirants was a 100 per cent increase over the 2016 filing fee, while that of the parliamentary candidates remained unchanged.

    As a result, some political parties, civil society organisations and other individuals have raised concerns about the filing fees, describing it as exorbitant.

    Some smaller political parties also said the fees by the EC was a calculated attempt to prevent them from participating in the general election. They thus called on the EC to consider a downward review of the filing fee.

    Peanut comment

    The founder and leader of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Madam Akua Donkor commended the Jean Mensa led EC, saying the 100k filing fees was just a peanut.

    According to her, the amount is not outrageous as others have suggested since the presidential race is not for jokers. She said candidates who aspire for it must be financially capable.

    To the farmer, those who cannot raise the amount are not serious, adding her political party is not a minor party as some have described it.

    Deposit of GH¢100,000

    Barely a week after her comment, the GFP founder has deposited an amount of GH¢100,000 into her bank account to spectacle her readiness in the December 7 polls.

    A cash deposit receipt sighted by Ghana Guardian revealed Madam Akua Donkor walked into the Nsawam branch of GBC herself on Friday, September 18, to pay the said amount.

    Unlike 2016, the unlettered politician is optimistic her candidacy will be sealed this year.

    She has since called on Ghanaians to vote massively for her in the December polls.

    Source: Ghana Guardian

  • Were not making money from filing fees — EC

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has debunked assertions by some persons that it is using exorbitant filing fees to raise money for its activities and also prevent smaller political parties from contesting elections.

    Rather, the commission said its budget for the current electoral process had been ready. Besides, the country’s electoral laws debarred the electoral body from using proceeds from the filing fee for its business.

    The Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoo, who stated this in an interview with the Daily Graphic last Saturday, said the commission had only acted in compliance with the electoral laws, with the intention to protect the sanctity of the electoral process.

    “The EC cannot and does not use the filing fees of candidates for anything; so if some people are saying that the commission is using it as a means to raise funds for its activities, it is not true because the money is not for us; it belongs to the state and are paid into the Consolidated Fund,” he stressed.

    On Monday, September 14, this year, the EC opened online nominations for presidential and parliamentary aspirants for the December 7, 2020 elections.

    The commission fixed the filing fee for presidential aspirants at GH¢100,000 and that for parliamentary aspirants at GH¢10,000.

    The figure for the presidential aspirants was a 100 per cent increase over the 2016 filing fee, while that of the parliamentary candidates remained unchanged.

    However, some political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs) and individuals have raised concerns about the filing fees, describing it as exorbitant.

    Some smaller political parties also said the fees by the EC was a calculated attempt to prevent them from participating in the general election.

    Thus, they called on the EC to consider a downward review of the filing fee.

    Legitimate

    When the Daily Graphic contacted the EC for a response to the issue, Dr Quaicoo said the GH¢100,000 charged as filing fee for presidential candidates was reasonable, since it was only a deposit and would be refunded to candidates who polled 25 per cent of valid votes cast in the presidential election.

    He explained that the EC was acting on Regulations 8(1)(b) of Constitutional Instrument (C.I) 127 to ensure that all aspirants for presidential and parliamentary elections paid approved filing fees as a means of placing value on those offices they sought to occupy.

    Per regulations 8 (1b) of C.I 127, “a candidate for presidential and parliamentary elections shall, at the time of nomination of the candidate, deposit or cause to be deposited an amount of money determined by the EC”.

    Dr Quaicoo added that setting of filing fees by the EC, and in the current situation, the GH¢100,000 for presidential candidates, was to put a benchmark, “so that it does not happen that anybody at all can just rise up and say I want to be a candidate”.

    “There are some people who only file nominations and do not campaign or do anything; all that they want is that their names will appear on the ballot paper. If we go by the records, we have as the EC, 29 registered political parties; 10 independent candidates and six new parties, who applied to be registered. You can imagine the kind of ballot paper we will have if we say that no deposit is to be paid. The framers of the law knew this and that is why they put the payment of deposit there to be a benchmark for those who want to contest,” he said.

    Justification

    The Director of Electoral Services added that the EC was not using the filing fee as a barrier to candidates from contesting, but also stressed that the commission would maintain the benchmark at a level that would ensure that only candidates who meant business participated in the elections.

    He also said the ability of candidates to pay the filing fees was a test of their ability to mobilise resources.

    “If you are going to contest elections, it means that you are going to be a mobiliser; the money should not be coming from you but rather people who have confidence in you,” he added.

    Dr Quaicoo also justified that some political parties took about four times what the EC charged as filing fees during their internal elections, so the same parties could not turn around and blame the commission for fixing the filing fee far below what the parties charged.

    Refund

    Regulation 46 (1) of C.I 127 states that: “Subject to regulation 13, a deposit made by a candidate under this Regulations, shall as soon as practicable after the results of an election is declared, be:

    a) Returned to the candidate or the personal representative of the candidates, or b) forfeited to the state.
    Dr Quaicoo, however, explained that the electoral law, specifically Regulation 46 (3) of C.I 127, also stated explicitly on what should be done to the deposits filing of aspirants who failed to make the required mark in the election; “and that did not include the EC using such money for its activities.”

    Regulation 46(3) states that “when a poll is taken and after the completion of the counting of votes, including a recount, a candidate is found not to have polled:

    (a) in a parliamentary election, more than 12.5 per cent of the total value votes cast within the constituency, or (b) in a presidential election, more than 25 per cent of the total value votes cast in the election, the candidate shall forfeit a deposit made and the deposit shall be paid into the Consolidated Fund.”

    Based on the provisions in Regulation 46 of C.I 127, Dr Quaicoo stressed that the EC had no interest in the filing fee of aspirants since the law did not even allow the commission to touch the money.

    Exhibition

    Touching on the exhibition exercise, he said the EC had taken note of the genuine challenges some registered voters encountered in finding their details and would take steps to address those lapses.

    “Once inclusion is one of the functions of the exhibition exercise, it means that some people’s names may not appear in the register; but such cases can be addressed by following the procedure for inclusion,” he said.

    He debunked claims by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman, Mr Ernest Norgbey, that his name and those of 21,000 others could not be found in the register.

    Dr Quaicoo said facts available to the EC showed that the MP’s name was on the voters register and that the 21,000 missing names claim was unfounded.

    He urged all persons who had challenges with their records to use the opportunity offered by the exhibition exercise to correct those errors to be able to vote on December 7.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • ‘We’ll pay EC’s 100k filing fee’ – GCPP’s Henry Artery

    Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) has acclaimed Dr Herbert Henry Lartey as its flagbearer for the 2020 presidential polls.

    Ghana goes to the polls to elect next the president of the Republic on December 7. The Electoral Commission of Ghana has already fixed filling fee of each presidential candidate at GH¢100,000.

    The 100% increase of filing fee from GH¢500,000 in 2016 to a GH¢100,0000, has since received a backlash from the NDC, CPP, CDD-Ghana and many who are of the view that the phenomenon could be a potential breeding grounds for corruption and attempt to weaken minority parties.

    But, speaking on the sidelines of the 6th National Delegates Congress of GCPP in Accra, the third-time flagbearer Dr Henry Lartey said that his party is capable and ready to pay the filing fee of GH¢100,000.

    “I am not surprised, I knew that the EC was going to go up, I cannot force the EC to reduce it. If the EC says we should pay GH¢100,000, we’ll pay GH¢100,000, this is simple. The EC has been even generous to a point when it comes to the filing fee of a parliamentary candidate, so if they say we should pay GH¢100, 000, we’ll pay GH¢100,000”, he said.

    GCPP leader promised to “establish the University of Agriculture at Techiman in Bono East Region whilst going into solar power production in the area of energy”.

    Meanwhile, the GCPP has also endorsed the legalisation of ‘Okada’ but wants the motorbikes to be manufactured in Ghana.

    General Secretary of GCPP, Citizen Ato Dadzie, said “If we want to legalise Okada, then we must also manufacture motorbikes in Ghana aside our domestication policy to eat what we grow and grow what we eat. As for our industrialisation agenda, it is not only One District, One Factory but rather One Constituency, One Factory, we’ll establish 275 factories, if elected”.

    According to Mr Dadzie, GCPP will “introduce school farms and establish the Pan African University of Solar Energy to champion renewable energy agenda. We’ll make solar energy the cornerstone of the Ghanaian economy”.

    National Executives of the GCPP were also acclaimed and announced by the Electoral Commission.

    Source: Class FM

  • Registered voters to pay 30 pesewas for verification check – EC

    The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has announced that all voters who cannot make it to various registration centres to partake in the exhibition of the voters’ register which commences tomorrow, September 18 can do so via this short code, 1422.

    All voters who will make use of this process would be charged 30 pesewas.

    “The Commission will deploy a mobile telephony system also known as the SMS to allow prospective voters to check their details using their mobile phones for a fee of 30 pesewas. Prospective voters may access this system by simply texting his or her voters ID card number to 1422 and immediately, his or her details will pop up. With this simple process a voter with the click of the button can obtain the following details; his or name, voters ID card number, age, gender, polling station code, polling station name, district and region”.

    The charge, the EC Chair, Jean Mensa explained was not to enrich the Commission but the charges go directly to the telecommunications network for their services rendered.

    However, if voters are fraught with challenges while accessing the shortcode, they would have to immediately go to their assigned polling stations for their problems to be looked at.

    The aim of the exhibition of the voters’ register is to give voters the opportunity to correct the wrong spelling of their names, take a new photograph if the one on the ID card was badly taken among others.

    It is also to give room for a voter to object the names of unqualified persons on the register.

    The exhibition exercise will take place every day including weekends from 7 am to 6 pm at all 33,367 centres across the country.

    She said this at the weekly ‘Let the citizens know’ press conference held in Accra Thursday.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • EC introduces short code for voter verification

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has introduced a short message service (SMS) platform to enable registered voters access their registration details.

    The short code, 1422, will be activated on Friday, September 18, to Friday, September 25, 2020.

    To access registration details, voters would have to text their voter ID card number to the short code.

    The exhibition of the voters register would commence on Friday, September 18, to Friday, September 25.

    The exercise would also help the EC rid the register of unqualified persons ahead of the December 7 polls.

    The EC provisionally registered 16,963,306 people at the end of the biometric voters registration exercise which ended on August 9, this year.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • You’ve no moral right to complain about ‘high’ filing fees – Kabila tells political parties

    Former acting General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr., popularly known as Kabila has asked political parties to cease criticizing the Electoral Commission (EC) over the increment in filing fees.

    The EC opened online nominations for Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates for the December 7, 2020 elections.

    According to the Commission, this year’s filing fee for presidential aspirants would be GH¢100,000, while that for parliamentary candidates would remain unchanged at GH¢10,000

    The decision by the EC has however incurred the wrath of some political parties.

    Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Kabila who thinks the parties have no moral right to complain, recalled how he and other members of the CPP complained before the filing fee was reduced to GHC40, 000 for him to contest the General Secretary position in the CPP.

    “Personally I don’t think the fee is high . . . how much did we charge in our internal contests? You (CPP) collected 100,000 internally and you are crying against the Electoral Commission? What moral right have you got to do that,” he queried.

    Source: Peace FM

  • ECs 100K filing fees just peanuts – Akua Donkor

    The founder and leader of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Akua Donkor says she is ready to pay for the presidential filing fee to contest in the election.

    The unlettered candidate told Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that, the amount is not outrageous.

    The farmer says the resources that she used in establishing her party cannot be compared to the GHc100,000 charged by the Electoral Commission (EC).

    According to her, persons who have questioned where she would get the resources from are not serious and are jokers.

    In her view, those who have lamented and described the figure as outrageous are entitled top their her opinions.

    Madam Donkor said the EC must be commended for the figure because the presidential race is not for jokers.

    To those who cannot get the figure she stated are not serious, adding her political party is not a minor party as some have described it.

    She admonished Ghanaians to vote for the Ghana Freedom Party because she has the best policies to transform Ghana.

    Presidential candidates who have expressed interest in contesting the national election will be required to pay a GH¢100,000 for nominations forms.

    Parliamentary candidates on the other hand will pay GH¢10,000. Both forms are to be accessed on the Electoral Commission website.

    The Commission at a press conference on Monday stated that the candidates after purchasing their forms are required to submit them from October 5 to 9 between 9-1pm and 2-5pm each day.

    Source: rainbowradioonline.com

  • EC’s filing fee is to sieve serious candidates from unserious ones – Nana Akomea

    Managing Director of State Transport Company (STC), Nana Akomea has thrown his weight behind the Electoral Commission (EC) for charging a filing fee of Ghc 100,000 for Presidential candidates and Ghc 10,000 for aspiring Parliamentarians.

    The EC disclosed the filing fee at its “Let The Citizen Know” press conference in Accra, Monday, September 14, 2020.

    Speaking to the media, Electoral Commission Chairperson, Madam Jean Mensa highlighted the filing process saying “the Presidential Candidate will be required to deposit an amount of Ghc 100,000 in a form of a Bankers draft to the Commission, Parliamentary Candidates will be required to deposit Ghc 10,000 in a form of a Bankers draft as well. We wish all candidates for both presidential and parliamentary elections well, we trust that the nomination process will be efficient, seemless and orderly . . .”

    Addressing the filing fee on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, Nana Akomea believed the amount is to discourage unserious political parties from participating in the 2020 elections.

    According to him, the money will help the electoral management body to sieve the candidates.

    “They want the people who will file their nomination to be people who are serious so that nobody wakes up to do just something and get 2 percent or 1 percent to waste time. I think the money is one way they’re using to seive in order to have serious candidates or serious political parties.”

    He, however, was of the view that the EC should have had a stakeholder meeting with all the political parties before coming out with the filing fee so as to have established a consensus with the parties.

    Deadline for Nomination Forms

    Nominations were opened from 6pm Monday, September 14 and the forms are to be accessed on the EC’s website https://ec.gov.gh/political-parties/

    Monday, 5th October to Friday, 9th October, 2020 is the deadline for the submission of the nomination forms and will be received by the EC between the hours of 9am and 12noon, and 2pm and 5pm each day.

    Source: Peace FM

  • EC wants corruption to skyrocket, filing fee ‘exorbitant’ – Kwesi Pratt

    Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has berated the Electoral Commission (EC) for pegging its filing fee at GH¢100,000 and GH¢10,000 for presidential and parliamentary aspirants, respectively.

    He held rather strongly that the filing fee is “exorbitant”.

    Speaking at the Commission’s “Let The Citizen Know” press conference in Accra on Monday, September 14, the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa said individuals or parties willing to contest the elections must first make a deposit of the aforementioned amount in a form of a bankers draft to the Commission after downloading, filling and submitting their forms within 5 days.

    “The Presidential Candidate will be required to deposit an amount of GH¢ 100,000 in a form of a Bankers draft to the Commission, Parliamentary Candidates will be required to deposit GH¢10,000 in a form of a Bankers draft as well. We wish all candidates for both presidential and parliamentary elections well, we trust that the nomination process will be efficient, seemless and orderly…” she said.

    The aspirants are to pick the forms via the EC’s website.

    Nominations were opened from 6pm Monday, September 14 with the deadline being from Monday, October 5 to Friday, October 9, 2020 between the hours of 9am and 12noon, and 2pm and 5pm each day.

    However, the EC’s filing fee has become a bone of contention for many concerned stakeholders.

    At least 4 major political parties; the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) as well as the All People’s Congress (APC) have launched scathing attack on the electoral body, describing the filing fee as “outrageous”

    Contributing to a panel discussion on ‘Kokrokoo’ on Peace FM, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr opined that the payment of such huge sums for nomination forms is one of the major contributors to corruption in Ghana.

    According to him, there are some parliamentary aspirants and sitting Members of Parliament who, in order to pay the filing fee, will have to rely on donors for funds, but in return, offer them contractual favours when they come into government in order to appease them.

    In his candid view, this and other reasons he cited are why the Electoral Commission should have reduced the fee.

    “This filing fee is too much…If we want corruption to escalate, let’s continue to do what we’re doing. But if we don’t want corruption to increase, let’s take decisions that will ease the financial pressures…We will all benefit if we get a good President. Getting a good Parliamentarian will also affect us; the same way if we get a bad person, it will also affect us. The fee is too excessive,” he said.

    Source: Peace FM

  • ECs filing fee not only discriminatory but unlawful – Kwaku Azar

    Law professor and activist, Professor Kwaku Asare, popularly known as Kwaku Azar has taken on the Electoral Commission (EC) over the cost of filing fee it announced for presidential aspirants and parliamentary aspirants.

    The law professor says the cost is not only discriminatory but unlawful.

    In a post on his Facebook page, Kwaku Azar said government agencies are fully funded to provide services to the public hence they cannot just charge the public whatever they want.

    He asserts that the EC and other agencies must publish regulations, which must be brought before parliament for vetting.

    Read his full post below

    Government agencies are fully funded to provide services to the public. As such, they cannot just charge the public whatever they want for whatever reasons.

    ACT 983 provides for the regulation of their fees and charges and for related matters.

    Under the Act, to charge at all, first these agencies, including the EC, must publish regulations, which, of course, has to be placed in Parliament where it undergoes vetting.

    CHRAJ cannot wake up and start asking us to pay ?50,000 per complaint to weed out non-serious complaints any more than the EC can ask general election candidates to pay ?100,000 to get on the ballot.

    It has to publish regulations, which Parliament, under pressure from the people, will reject.

    Some say the EC can charge whatever it wants to weed out non-serious candidates.

    I say show me someone who voluntarily hands over his or her hard earned ?100,000 to the EC, without asking for the authority of the EC to impose that tax or penalty, and I will show you someone who will be a bad steward of the public purse.

    By the same token, the EC cannot levy a registration tax on voters to weed out non-serious ones.

    The EC is not a tax collector, a for profit-entity, a seriousness inspector or in any way set up to impose charges, let alone excessive ones, on general election candidates.

    Rather, its task includes making sure political parties timely file their financial reports and making same available to the public for vetting.

    Its task is to get dirty money out of our politics not exacerbate the problem.

    In short, fiats to impose fees are not just corruption-enhancing and discriminatory against the poor, they are also unlawful.

    Da Yie!

    Source: rainbownradioonline.com

  • PPP: GH¢100,000 presidential nomination filing fee is too much

    The Progressive Peoples Party (PPP) says the GH¢100,000 nomination filing fee fixed by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the 2020 presidential election is too high.

    According to the PPP, it is a difficult decision coming at a difficult time, the National Secretary of the PPP, Papa Kow Ackon said.

    “They have taken this decision without consulting IPAC [Inter Party Advisory Committee]…we find it a bit troubling that this decision has come at this time.”

    In a radio interview with Accra based Joy FM on Monday evening [September 14, 2020] in a reaction to the announcement of the nomination filing fee and date, Papa Kow Ackon said, “we all know the fee for 2016, the EC charged about GH¢50,000 and so for this to be increased by over 100 percent, this is just not on.

    He said the EC needs to be questioned whether it has the necessary statutory backing to fix the new fee.

    He said on Wednesday [September 16] the PPP will have its national committee meeting and it would be discussed “but clearly it is a difficult decision, we are in a difficult moment in our history and it is important if the EC is making decisions, it must factor all the economic challenges people are going through in this country. We should not fix fees at that high level and say that becoming a president is a tough thing or a serious thing and so anyone who expresses interest must cough some high fees.”

    The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has also expressed concern about the fee.

    The General Secretary, Nana Yaa Juantuah said in the Joy FM radio interview that the EC should not just set charges without explanation and without consulting IPAC.

    “Whatever it is, we should know the reason for the increase. Why did they leave the parliamentary one at the same level [GH¢10,000]

    Presidential and parliamentary aspirants for the December 7, 2020 Elections in Ghana are to file their nomination from October 5th to 9th, 2020, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced.

    The Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Jean Mensa made this known at a press briefing Monday evening, [September 14, 2020].

    The nomination fee for presidential aspirants is GH¢100,000. This is a 100 percent increase from the GH¢50,000 fee which was paid in 2016.

    That of parliamentary aspirants, is GH¢10,000, same as what was paid in 2016.

    Per past practice, the filing fee or nomination fee that the aspirant pays is refunded after the election if he or she gets a certain percentage of the total valid votes cast in the election.

    The percentage is 25 per cent in the case of the Presidential election and 12.5 in the case of the parliamentary election.

    Unlike in the past where aspirants picked up the nomination forms from the office of the EC, this year the forms have been uploaded on the website of the EC.

    Aspirants are therefore to download their forms from the EC website and submit it as part of measures to help prevent the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

    In the past, the EC used just two days for the filing of nominations but this year, it has been increased it to five days.

    The Chairperson of the EC explained that to “ensure the security and integrity of the nomination process, each political party will be provided with a unique password to enable them access the password protected nomination forms…the passwords will be provided to the general secretaries of the political partieis.”

    “It is important to note that independent candidates will also be issued with unique passwords. We entreat the general secretaries of political parties and representatives of independent candidates to kindly call and contact the Head of IT [at the EC] for to receive access to their passwords.”

    Guidelines for filling nomination forms

    The EC has provided a detailed guideline on its website for filling the nomination forms.

    The EC will receive the filled out nomination forms for the presidential and parliamentary aspirants from Monday October 5 to Friday October 9, 2020.

    The forms are to be submitted in quadruplicates.

    That of the presidential aspirants are to submitted at the EC head office by the aspirants themselves or their supporters and to be received by the EC chairperson who is the Returning Officer.

    In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EC has limited the number of persons to submit the forms at the head office or at the district office to five persons. 

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • Filing fee was increased to match cedi value EC justifies increment

    Ghana electoral body has justified the 100 percent increment in the filing fee which is to be paid by political parties ahead of the 2020 elections.

    The Electoral Commission on Monday, September 14, 2020 announced that it had increased the filing fees of presidential aspirants from GHC50,000 to GHC100,000.

    It furthered that parliamentary aspirants are to pay ¢10,000.

    The new figures have been widely condemned by particularly presidential aspirants of minority parties.

    Explaining the increment of the filing fees in an interview on CitiNews, however, a Deputy Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Bossman Eric Asare insisted that the increment is in tandem with the value of the currency.

    “In each particular year, it is important you look at the value of GHS50,000 in 2016, then compare it to GHS50,000 in 2020 then you will notice that the Commission has not increased it much. And even when you look at the [filing fee for] parliamentary [aspirants], the GHS10,000, you will realise that the Commission has reduced the price because we all know that GHS10,000 in 2016, is not the same as GHS10,000 in 2020. The Commission is doing this to promote multiparty democracy.”

    Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa during the press briefing on Monday, explained that candidates are expected to access their nomination forms online effective Monday, September 14, 2020 at 6:00pm.

    The EC further declared a five-day period for candidates or representatives of political parties to present their nomination forms from October 5-9, 2020.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Election 2020: EC to announce procedures for filing nominations today

    The Electoral Commission (EC) will today, Monday, September 14, 2020 hold a media briefing on the procedures for the filing of nominations and receipts for the 2020 General Election.

    Already, the Commission has indicated that for the first time in the country’s electoral history, presidential and parliamentary aspirants would not physically pick nomination forms from the offices of the EC but would have to download the forms from its website for processing.

    The guidelines for nominations would be available on the EC’s website for political parties and candidates to access.

    The Commission said the move was part of the safety protocols for curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

    It said the initiative would also break down the bureaucratic nature of the filing of nominations and make it less cumbersome.

    Per Ghana’s electoral laws, aspirants seeking to contest parliamentary and presidential elections are to file their nominations with the EC.

    Over the years, aspirants or their representatives would visit the offices of the EC at the district, regional or national levels to pick the nomination forms, which were completed and filed at a later date.

    The atmosphere on such occasions was usually dramatic, characterised by drumming, singing, dancing and sloganeering.

    The latest move by the EC would thus end the funfair of picking and filing of forms.

    Source: GNA

  • Citizen sues EC over failure to provide audited accounts of NPP, NDC

    A Ghanaian citizen has filed a suit at an Accra High Court against the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) for failure to furnish her with audited accounts of the two major political parties in Ghana.

    Dorcas Aboraa Sika Marfo had written to the Commission on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, requesting copies of the returns and audited accounts of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from 2012 till date.

    She also, in the letter, requested to know the fees payable before her request is granted.

    But, according to a writ sighted by 3news.com, the EC has “failed, refused and neglected to acknowledge receipt of the letter or accede to the request made”.

    According to her, the Commission is enjoined by the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 547) to respond and provide the information she is requesting.

    After barely five months, Ms Abora through her legal representatives has taken the matter to court.

    She is praying the court to exercise its discretion to order the Commission “to discharge its statutory obligations by furnishing the applicant with copies of the returns and accounts filed by the NPP and the NDC political parties from 2012 till date”.

    Source: 3 News

  • GJA invites journalists to register for special voting

    The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has invited journalists who may not vote on Election Day due to work, to register for Special or Early Voting.

    The association said such persons should send their “name, Voter ID number, Code on ID card and their polling station” to the Ghana International Press Centre by October 10, 2020.

    The association in a press release to the Ghana News Agency said: “Regulation 23, sub-regulation 2(a) of C. I. 94 states that the application for Special Voting shall be made no later than 42 days before polling day in the constituency of the applicant.

    “Journalists who want to benefit from this provision should, therefore, send their particulars to the GJA before the October 10 deadline to enable the EC to process their applications for Special Voting.”

    Source: GNA

  • Where did the $100 million go? – Bernard Mornah asks EC

    The National Chairman of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Bernard Mornah, has said the Electoral Commission (EC) has wasted $130 million of the taxpayers’ money on an exercise that could have been conducted with just $30 million.

    After the voters’ registration exercise, the EC claims it has detected minors on foreigners on the new voters’ roll adding that it’ll delete the names to ensure a credible.

    Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa said steps have been taken to remove all illegal registrants before the December polls.

    But Bernard Mornah speaking on the just-ended register said “They [EC] say the new voter roll has foreigners on it (Ivorians), they say there are minors on the register, they say there are dead people on the register, so, you [EC] lied”, adding that it is “deception and stealing of public funds for personal use.”

    According to him, a survey conducted by the policy think tank, IMANI Africa “analyses show that we wasted $130 million on an exercise that we could conduct safely with $30 million.”

    “Where did the $100 million go?” he asked.

    Speaking on Accra FM, he said Jean Mensa must be prosecuted for causing financial loss to the state.

    “So, I say that Jean Mensa and all the actors in this grand scheme to steal Ghana’s money are candidates for prosecution,” he said on Accra FM.

    He alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is conniving with the EC to delete names of Ghanaians from the new register in some specific areas.

    “They have come out with another lie. This lie we uncovered. If you listen to the General Secretary of the NPP, they have already targeted some constituencies in which they are going to delete names from the voter register,” he added.

    Source: Pulse Ghana

  • Police follow EC office fire trail

    The Accra Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service is investigating the cause of the fire that gutted the Electoral Commission (EC) office at Sapeiman in the Greater Accra Region in the early hours of Friday.

    Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, Head of Public Affairs Unit (PAU), told the Ghana News Agency that the cause of the fire, as well as the value of the damage caused, were not immediately known.

    DSP Tenge said there was no casualty.

    Giving the facts, she said the Police Command received information about the fire outbreak at the Regional Office of the EC in the early hours of Friday.

    She said four fire tenders from Amasaman, Kotoku, Nsawam and Abelemkpe were brought in to quench the fire and provide security.

    “Police officers from the Division were also deployed to provide security for the Fire officers,” she said.

    The Head of the PAU said the room that stored used electoral materials was razed but the fire was brought under control at about 0500 hours.

    The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Commission, Mr Kwame Amoah, informed the Regional Police Commander DCOP Mr Afful Boakye Yiadom, who was at the scene, that the incident would not affect the recent registration and the upcoming December 2020 elections in areas under its jurisdiction.

    Source: GNA

  • Fire guts Electoral Commission office in Accra

    Fire that erupted in the early hours of Friday, August 14, 2020 has destroyed several property at the Electoral Commission’s office in Accra.

    The fire which started at about 2.30 am, consumed almost everything in the said building located at Sapeiman in the Ga West Municipality which also serves as the Regional Office of the election management body.

    The cause of the incident is still under investigation by the Fire Service and the Ghana Police Service.

    The building is also used for the storage of old and used items for the Commission, Angelonline.com.gh has learnt.

    It, however, did not affect the main administration block.

    The fire was said to have been detected by the policeman and the night watchmen on duty at the time.

    Personnel from the Fire Service have been there to put the fire under control.

    Source: angelonline.com.gh

  • ASEPA’s petition to remove EC boss thrown out as CJ makes no adverse findings

    President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has dismissed a petition to remove the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa following a determination of no adverse evidence of a legal breach by the EC boss.

    Civil society organisation, Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), led by its Executive Secretary, Mensah Thompson petitioned the President to remove Mrs Jean Mensa from office on the grounds that she failed to declare her assets on time on assumption of office in 2018.

    After the Presidency forwarded the petition to the Chief Justice for action, the Chief Justice did not establish any adverse evidence of a legal breach against the EC boss.

    The Chief Justice did not also find any statute that criminalises the non-declaration of assets within the stipulated time in the Constitution.

    Following this, the Presidency subsequently dismissed the petition.

    Earlier petition to CHRAJ

    ASEPA had earlier on December 12, 2019, filed a similar complaint at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) that Mrs Mensa failed or refused to declare her assets.

    CHRAJ ruled in favour of the Chairperson of the EC.

    In its decision on June 4, 2020, CHRAJ held that at the time the complaint was filed on December 12, 2019, the EC boss had not filed her assets with the Auditor-General, but she filed her assets on February 17, 2020, after the complaint was brought to her attention.

    Such a move, CHRAJ held, meant the EC boss had not refused to declare her assets as required by Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution.

    ASEPA petitions President

    Not satisfied with the ruling by CHRAJ, ASEPA in a letter dated June 9, 2020 petitioned the President to remove the EC boss for failing to declare her assets on time.

    ASEPA argued that Mrs Mensa failed to declare her assets “within three months as stipulated by Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution, although she became the Chairperson of the EC on January 8, 2018.”

    Chief Justice’s conclusions and dismissal of petition

    In a letter dated July 27, 2020 and signed by the Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante, the Presidency explained that the petition was forwarded to the Chief Justice for action but the Chief Justice did not establish any adverse evidence of a legal breach against the EC boss.

    “The Chief Justice did not find any statute that criminalises the non-declaration of assets within the stipulated time in the Constitution,” the letter from the presidency explained.

    “In any event, CHRAJ did not make any adverse findings against the Chairperson as the investigation was terminated and the complaint dismissed after the Chairperson declared her assets on 17th February 2020,” the letter added.

    “Accordingly, I am directed by the President to inform you [ASEPA] that your petition has been dismissed,” it said.

    What CHRAJ said

    According to CHRAJ, having established that Mrs Mensa had complied with Article 286 of the 1992 Constitution, it was not necessary to continue with investigations into the complaint by ASEPA.

    That, CHRAJ said, was in line with Section 13 (1)(b) of the CHRAJ Act, 1993 (Act 456) which allowed the commission to refuse to continue to investigate a matter when it appeared that further investigation was not needed.

    “Having established in the course of the investigation that the respondent (EC boss) has now complied with Article 286 albeit late , the commission is of the considered opinion that the appropriate action, having regard to the circumstances of the case, is to refuse to investigate the matter any further as further investigation will not be necessary,” the decision signed by the Commissioner for CHRAJ, Mr Joseph Whittal, stated.

    File your assets early

    CHRAJ, however, advised Mrs Mensa not to delay in declaring her assets with the Auditor-General in the future.

    “Based on the results of the investigations, the commission strongly advises the respondent (Mrs Mensa) to pay careful attention to her obligations under Article 286 to ensure that the delay that occurred previously in the declaration of her assets and liabilities does not occur,” CHRAJ said.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Mission staff, students on government scholarship abroad cant vote this year – EC

    Some Ghanaians stranded abroad due to COVID-19 restrictions may not be able to vote during the 2020 elections if the measures to halt the spread of the disease remains.

    The Electoral Commission (EC) chair, Jean Mensa said at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, August 12 that it has been unable to travel to register workers in the Ghanaian missions as well as students on scholarships abroad.

    She indicated that the working timetable for the commission may not allow for them to partake in the December exercise if they are unable to get onto the roll anytime soon.

    “It is a challenge for all of us that we are grappling with. We have Ghanaians beyond the borders who are unable to come in. The Commission would have liked to register all eligible Ghanaians but it is a challenge that we are grappling with.

    “We find that we are not able to travel because there are restrictions on travel not only in Ghana but around the world.

    “As part of our plans we were supposed to have travelled to all countries where we had Missions and Embassies to register the Mission staff and students on Government of Ghana scholarship but we have not been able to do that because of the travel restriction.

    “There are discussions ongoing and maybe at a later stage when there is some a solution we will provide you with the information on that but for now they are all caught within the restrictions and travel bans globally. It puts us in a tight position and we are not able to say for sure that we will be able to cross the borders. We are working within some timelines and so it has to fill within a particular time so that those persons will be captured on the register,” she said.

    Source: 3 News

  • 64,966 PwD captured in new voters register – EC

    A total number of 64,966 persons living with disability have been captured on the voters register in the just ended voter registration exercise, the Electoral Commission has disclosed.

    Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, 12 July 2020, the EC said the number represents 0.56% of the total number of persons registered and this according to the election management body “demonstrates good progress”.

    “We are gratified to note that a significant number of persons with disabilities participated in this exercise. As part of our commitment to ensure that no one was left behind, the Commission made arrangements to cater for a section of our society at all district offices of the Electoral Commission throughout the country. This is the first time such an arrangement has been put in place,” EC boss Madam Jean Mensa said.

    “As a Commission, we wanted to ensure that vulnerable groups, the aged, persons with disability, pregnant women etc all felt comfortable to participate in the registration exercise [and] it paid off,” she added.

    Ms Mensa announced that “At the end of the registration exercise, 64,966 with disability had successfully registered in the process. This represents 0.56% of the total number of persons registered and demonstrates good progress.”

    Meanwhile, the total number of people captured in the new voter roll is 16,932,492.

    The EC says the exercise which ended on Sunday, 9 August 2020 was successful as it was “inclusive, participatory, orderly and peaceful.”

    Source: Class FM

  • New voters register: 60.09 percent used Ghana Card; Total registered voters is 16,963,306

    The Electoral Commission has announced that a total of 16,963,306 voters have been registered in the mass voter registration exercise which ended last week.

    These provisional figures were announced Wednesday by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa at a press conference in Accra.

    She explained that the figure is pending processes of de-duplication and adjudication.

    More women registered

    At the end of the registration exercise, a total 51.73 percent females were registered while males made up of 48.27 percent were registered.

    The Upper East Region recorded the highest number of female registrants per population with 54.6 percent and the Western Region had the highest number of male registrants per population with 51.2 percent.

    First time voters  

    At the end of the exercise, 762,944 18-year-olds had registered as first time voters.

    This, the EC chairperson said represented 4.5 percent of the total register.

    With respect to 19-year-olds, the EC said 612,104 registered to bring the total number of 18 and 19-year-olds to 1,375,048 persons representing 8.1 percent of the total register.

    Documents presented

    Out of the over 16 million registered, 60.09 percent presented the Ghana Card, 37.99 percent used the guarantor system and 1.92 percent registered with the Ghana passport. 

    The region with the highest persons who used the Ghana Card is the Oti Region, where 79.1 percent presented the Ghana Card followed by the Eastern Region where 78.5 percent presented the Ghana Card. 

    The Western North Region came third with 76.9 percent using the Ghana Card.

    Guarantor system

    With the guarantor system the Upper East Region recorded the highest number with 58.5 percent followed by Bono and Ahafo regions where 57.7 percent used the guarantor system.

    Without finger prints

    The number of applicants registered without finger prints and would be verified on election day using the facial recognition feature are 61,995 representing 0.37 percent of the total number of registered voters.

    The Upper East Region had the highest number of this class of applicants with a total of 9244 found to have problematic finger prints.

    The region with the lowest number of this problem was the Ahafo Region which had a total of 813 persons with problematic finger prints.

    Challenge cases

    The EC Chairperson said a total of 37,762 cases representing 0.20 percent of the total register were challenged with majority of them in the Oti Region followed by the Ahafo and Volta Regions.

    Most of the challenge cases were from the border regions, she said.

    Minors

    The Electoral Commission noted that it has become aware that some minors have found their way unto the register and that it was confident that the challenge process which was still ongoing in various districts will help rid the register of these “illegal” persons.

    Mrs Mensa said the number of persons registered as of the end of Day 36 were 16,932,492 and at the end of the two day mop-up exercise, 30,814 persons successfully registered to bring the total to 16,963,306.

    Source: Graphic.com.gh

  • Regional breakdown of ECs just ended registration exercise

    Provisional figures as announced today, Wednesday, August 12, 2020, by the Electoral Commission put the total number of persons who registered in the just voter registration exercise at 16,963,306.

    It includes the 30,814 persons registered during the two-day mop-up registration exercise organised over the weekend.

    Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, said the figure is pending processes of deduplication and adjudication.

    She expects the figure to drop after these processes.

    “The process of deduplication and adjudication, which are currently going will flag multiple registrations in the system,” she said.

    “Additionally, the challenge system put in place during the registration and exhibition exercise will further flag unqualified voters on the register,” Jean Mensa noted further.

    The EC chairperson is confident that the upcoming processes “will contribute to the cleaning of the register and ensure its integrity and credibility ahead of the 2020 election.”

    The Greater Accra Region had the most registered voters with 3,509,805 persons.

    The Ashanti Region followed with 3,013,856 persons, Eastern Region with 1,628,108 persons and the Central Region with 1,566,061 persons.

    The commission last week announced that there were close to 800,000 persons “quarantined” on multiple registrations and exceptions list.

    It has put in place an Adjudication Committee to manually determine cases of duplicated voter registrations.

    Below is the regional breakdown of voters registered by the Electoral Commission:

    S/NREGIONNO. OF VOTERS
    1.GREATER ACCRA3,509,805
    2.ASHANTI3,013,856
    3.EASTERN1,628,180
    4.CENTRAL1,566,061
    5.WESTERN1,185,315
    6.NORTHERN1,047,539
    7.VOLTA929,322
    8.UPPER EAST653,730
    9.BONO648,408
    10.BONO EAST592,015
    11.UPPER WEST470,271
    12.WESTERN NORTH465,444
    13.OTI353,492
    14.AHAFO315,827
    15.SAVANNAH295,648
    16.NORTH EAST288,393

    Source: citinewsroom

  • 2020 Elections: Greater Accra region leads with the most registered voters

    The Electoral Commission (EC) says the Greater Accra Region had the most registered voters in the just ended voters registration.

    The EC says the region recorded 3,590,805 persons out of the 16.9 million people who registered across the country.

    According to the Commission, the Ashanti Region followed with 3,013,856 persons while the Eastern Region recorded 1,628,108 persons and the Central Region recording 1,566,061 persons.

    Addressing journalists at the Let the Citizens Know’ series on Wednesday, August 12, EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa said it has in total registered 16,963,306 persons in 38 days at the end of the exercise.

    “At the end of the 36-day, exercise 16,932,492 persons had registered as voters. At the end of the mop-up exercise, 30,814 persons successfully registered as part of the 2020 voters registration exercise. The total number of registered voters at the end of the exercise stands at 16,963,306,” she stated.

    For first time voters who are classified above 18 years old, the EC said it has registered 762,944 persons. This figure, according to the Commission represents 4.5% of the total voter roll.

    “To go a little deeper, 612,104 19 year-olds also registered as voters. In a nutshell, the total number of 18 and 19-year olds’ who had registered at the end of the exercise amount to 1,375,048. This figure represents 8.1 percent of the total register,” Jean Mensa explained.

    The compilation of a new voters register by the Electoral Commission (EC) commenced on June 30, 2020, and ended on August 6, 2020, across all districts in the country.

    Although the EC projected registering 15 million eligible voters, the latest figures show the electoral body has surpassed its projections.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • EC investigates alleged registration of foreigners at Banda Kabrono

    The Electoral Commission has initiated investigations into an alleged registration of some foreigners said to be Ivoriens at Banda Kabrono during the mass voter registration exercise last week.

    According to a statement issued by the EC [copy attached below] on Saturday, August 8, 2020, its initial investigation has revealed that the said registration occurred at Banda Kabrono in the Bono Region.

    “As a commission determined to compile a register, which reflects eligible Ghanaians only, we take this matter very seriously,” the EC’s statement posted on Facebook said.

    “The Commission has launched a full scale investigation into the matter and will not shield any staff (permanent or temporary) found to have been involved in the alleged illegal registration of foreign nationals. The Commission will use all legal means available to it to ensure that the names of all ineligible persons are removed from Ghana’s voters register,” it added.

     

    The EC called on the security agencies to collaborate with the commission in this regard.

     

    Meanwhile, the commission entreats all well-meaning Ghanaians to report illegal and unauthorised activities of any EC to the commission and the security agencies.

    “We assure the general public that we are determined to compile a register that reflects eligible Ghanaians only. We will continue to work to ensure that the 2020 Voters Register bears the hallmark of credibility and integrity.


    Alleged foreigners sent to Sunyani

    Graphic Online’s correspondent in the Bono Region, Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah reports from Sunyani that officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) have arrested 52 foreign nationals who reportedly sneaked into the Banda District to take part in the mass voters registration exercise.

    They reportedly registered on August 6, 2020, the last day of the mass exercise at various registration centres in the Banda District.

    They were picked up by the security officers on Friday, August 7, 2020 whilst they were trying to return to their base at Tambe in Cote d’Ivoire after obtaining their voters identity cards, reports Adu-Gyamerah.

    They were on board a KIA truck with registration number, ER 4612- X and were arrested by the Immigration officers at Drobo in the Jaman North District at about 6.00 am.

    They have since been transported to Sunyani to be screened by officials of the GIS.

     

    Source: Graphic.com.gh 

  • 2020 polls: 61,000 voters with poor fingerprints to go through facial verification

    The Electoral Commission has said some 61,086 voters who were part of those captured in the just-ended registration exercise, fall under the trauma category meaning, their fingerprints could not be captured by the electronic system.

    This means, they would have to go through facial verification on the day of the general elections before they can vote.

    At a press conference in Accra on Friday, 7 August 2020, the Deputy Chair of the EC, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, said: “In the course of the registration, the Commission identified some applicants who have lost most or some of their finger imprints, making it extremely difficult for their fingerprints to be captured for verification purposes”.

    “The reasons for this are several but they are largely rooted in the kinds of occupations of some applicants”, he noted.

    “For these applicants, their faces will be verified during the election to establish their identities”, he said.

    He added: “This is the facial recognition that the Commission has been talking about”.

    In both real and nominal terms, Dr Asare said the Upper East region leads with 9,137 cases constituting 1.42% of the total voters registered.

    He said with the exception of Ahafo, all the regions are in four digits.

    Regional breakdown

    WESTERN – 2,742

    WESTERN NORTH – 1,224

    CENTRAL – 2,484

    GREATER ACCRA – 7,092

    VOLTA – 5,873

    OTI – 1,586

    EASTERN – 3,162

    ASHANTI – 7,625

    BONO – 3,009

    AHAFO – 799

    BONO EAST – 2,802

    SAVANNAH – 3,045

    NORTHERN – 4,632

    NORTH EAST – 1,557

    UPPER EAST – 9,137

    UPPER WEST – 4,317

    NATIONAL TOTAL – 61,086

    Source: Class FM

  • 61,000 voters with poor fingerprints to go through facial verification

    The Electoral Commission has said some 61,086 voters who were part of those captured in the just-ended registration exercise, fall under the trauma category meaning, their fingerprints could not be captured by the electronic system.

    This mean, they would have to go through facial verification on the day of the general elections before they can vote.

    At a press conference in Accra on Friday, 7 August 2020, the Deputy Chair of the EC, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, said: “In the course of the registration, the Commission identified some applicants who have lost most or some of their finger imprints, making it extremely difficult for their fingerprints to be captured for verification purposes”.

    “The reasons for this are several but they are largely rooted in the kinds of occupations of some applicants”, he noted.

    “For these applicants, their faces will be verified during the election to establish their identities”, he said.

    He added: “This is the facial recognition that the Commission has been talking about”.

    In both real and nominal terms, Dr Asare said the Upper East region leads with 9,137 cases constituting 1.42% of the total voters registered.

    He said with the exception of Ahafo, all the regions are in four digits.

    Regional breakdown

    WESTERN – 2,742

    WESTERN NORTH – 1,224

    CENTRAL – 2,484

    GREATER ACCRA – 7,092

    VOLTA – 5,873

    OTI – 1,586

    EASTERN – 3,162

    ASHANTI – 7,625

    BONO – 3,009

    AHAFO – 799

    BONO EAST – 2,802

    SAVANNAH – 3,045

    NORTHERN – 4,632

    NORTH EAST – 1,557

    UPPER EAST – 9,137

    UPPER WEST – 4,317

    NATIONAL TOTAL – 61,086

     

    Source: ClassFM 

  • EC reveals 30,462 prospective voters still on the waiting list

    A total of 30,462 persons who turned up at various registration centres to have their names captured on Ghana’s electoral roll have their fate still hanging in the balance.

    This is because political party agents have challenged their eligibility to be on the voters register for the December 7, 2020 elections.

    The Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, stated this at the eighth edition of Let the Citizen Know in Accra on Friday, August 7, 2020.

    He, has however, said the development is not a reinvention of the wheel since it is it is in compliance with Regulation 18 of Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) governing the registration exercise.

    He said the number of the challenged cases per population were quite higher in border constituencies.

    The mass registration exercise ended on Thursday, August 6, capturing 16,663,669.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • ‘The good people of Ghana will judge our performance’ – Jean Mensa to critics

    In my law class 30 years ago, one of the profound doctrines was the Latin expression “Res ispa loquitur,” which means the thing speaks for it self; and on that premise, we will leave the good people of Ghana to judge our performance.

    These were the words of the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Jean Mensa, as she responded to a question on how the Commission would rate its performance in the just ended mass voter registration exercise.

    She was speaking at the eighth edition of the Let the Citizens Know series, a platform created by the EC to engage citizens on the electoral process.

    The Commission had projected to register 15 million eligible Ghanaians in the 38-day mass registration exercise, but exceeded that target after registering 16,663,669 at the end of the registration on Thursday, August 6.

    With a mop-up registration scheduled to take place at the various offices of the Commission on Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, the figure will shoot up.

    Giving that the move by the EC to compile a new register ahead of the December 7, 2020 polls had been met with resistance by some political parties and civil society organisations (CSOs); and that the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) scourge had been an issue of grave concern, many had little or no hope in the ability of the Commission carry out the exercise.

    It therefore, came as refreshing news for the Commission to have scaled that challenge.

    And on that solid foundation, Mrs Mensa, reiterated that the successful completion of the mass voter registration exercise was just the beginning of many other transparent processes the EC had put in place for a credible and fair election.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • EC registers 16.6 million voters

    The Electoral Commission (EC) has registered a total of 16,663,699 voters as of the end of the mass voters registration exercise on Thursday, August 6, 2020.

    The commission made this known at its 8th edition of the Let the Citizens Know series, a platform created by the EC to engage citizens on the electoral process, reports Graphic Online’s Timothy Ngnenbe who was at the meeting.

    The Commission had projected to register 15 million eligible Ghanaians in the 38-day mass registration exercise, but exceeded that target after registering 16,663,669 at the end of the registration on Thursday, August 6, 2020.

    With a mop-up registration scheduled to take place at the various offices of the Commission on Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, the figure will shoot up.

    The EC’s move to compile a new register ahead of the December 7, 2020 polls had been met with resistance by some political parties and civil society organisations (CSOs).

    Aside that the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) scourge had been an issue of grave concern and many had little or no hope in the ability of the Commission to carry out the exercise.

    It therefore, comes as refreshing news for the Commission to have scaled that challenge.

    Source: graphic.com.gh

  • 16.6 million captured in voter registration exercise

    The Electoral Commission (EC) registered 16,663,699 persons during the mass voters registration exercise.

    These figures from the commission are provisional.

    “As at 6th August, 2020 the Commission had registered a total of 16,663,669 (provisional figures) nationwide. Since the last briefing the four top regions have maintained their positions though the Greater Accra region has especially lost some grounds in percentage terms from 21.34 % to 20.8% of the total registered.  The Ashanti region also reduced marginally by 0.1% to its current 17.9%,” the commission announced at a briefing.

    “Both the Eastern and the Central regions have maintained their previous 9.6% and 9.3% respectively. Among the remaining regions, the following have increased in percentage terms- Western, Western North, Upper West, Northern, and Upper East- and the following have maintained their percentages- Ahafo, Bono, Bono East, Oti, North East, and Savanna. Only the Volta region reduced in percentage terms in this group.”

     

    Source: citinewsroom 

  • Effective planning, implementation and public cooperation is our magic – EC

    The Electoral Commission has said the implementation of its strategic plan for the Voters Registration and the cooperation from the public has made the exercise successful.

    The exercise, which started on June 30, was conducted in six phases in about 33,000 registration centres and officially ended today (August 6, 2020).

    Mr Samuel Tettey, Deputy Chairman in charge of operations speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the end of the nationwide voters registration exercise rated the exercise high saying, “So far so good”.

    He explained that the new Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits equipment were robust and effective compared to the previous ones and had worked to satisfaction.

    “The fingerprint scans for instance, did not reject any of the applicants who showed up to register. The laptop, camera and printer functioned very well,” he said. “This is a clear indication of how vigorous and efficient the new equipment worked as compared to the old BVR.”

    Mr Tettey commended the temporary personnel recruited for the exercise and said they followed the instructions and exhibited a high level of performance.

    He said the mitigation measures the Commission together with the relevant stakeholders put in place to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 disease during the registration period had been successful.

    Mr Tettey said the preliminary assessment attested to the fact that the registration setup was fluid and conformed to safety precautionary measures including, hand washing, wearing of mask by officers and the observation of the social distancing rule.

    He said despite pockets of violence at some centres by some stakeholders, representatives of political parties, the security agencies, and some civil society organization were present to observe the process and participated to make the exercise a success.

    He stated that many people showed interest in the exercise and that had led to the initial target of registering about 15 million eligible applicants being exceeded.

    “For the first time in the history of the Commission there was no shortage of materials. All these indicators testify that the exercise has gone on well.”

    The commission further issued a statement urging all eligible voters to take advantage of the mop-up exercise on the 8 and 9 of August, 2020 and register to be able to vote in the December 7, 2020 polls.

     

    Source: GNA