Convene emergency IPAC meeting on voter registration exercise - Political parties to EC

Political parties without representation in Parliament have called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to hold an emergency Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to address concerns of stakeholders ahead of the nationwide voter registration exercise.

The political parties are the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), Convention People's Party (CPP), All People's Congress (APC), National Democratic Party (NDP) and People's National Convention (PNC).

The group in a letter to the EC (a copy the Daily Graphic has obtained), said the engagement would improve participation and enhance the commission's commitment to electoral transparency.

“It will also strengthen conflict management and mitigation measures to foster sustainable peace and stability in our country Ghana,” it added. 

Concerns

Speaking on behalf of the group, the General Secretary of the LPG, Jerry Owusu Appauh, said the emergency IPAC meeting has become necessary as it was the forum at which those concerns on the upcoming voter registration exercise could be discussed to serve the interest of all Ghanaians.

 He said the call for the meeting was for the EC to make the process more accessible and painless to enable the average Ghanaian, who is eligible to exercise his right and entitlement to be registered as a voter.

“This will reflect in the EC's commitment to build a solid and credible institution to protect the strong and enviable record of Ghana as a beacon of democracy that will continue to be worthy of emulation across the continent,”

Mr Appauh reiterated the call by the group on the EC to use the 1,500 gazetted offices of the commission for the upcoming voters' registration exercise instead of the 268 it announced for the exercise earlier.

He said the use of limited offices of the commission would affect the participation of eligible voters in the registration exercise and that could create unnecessary tension.

Besides, Mr Appauh said using limited offices would impose unbearable cost to individuals and political parties alike since most people had to travel long distances to register.

He said the group would advise itself if the EC failed to heed their call to address their concerns before the exercise commenced.

EC

The EC, at a press briefing dubbed: "Let the Citizen Know” announced the modalities for the voter registration exercise for the upcoming 2024 general election, which the commission said it would commence from September 12 to October 2, 2023.

It also stated that the registration exercise would take place in all the 268 District Offices of the Commission including the Guan District and conducted between 8:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. daily, including Saturdays and Sundays.