NPP demands new voters register by June 2016
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded a new voters register, which should be ready not later than June 2016.
According to the party, the 2012 voters register was incurably flawed and could not be relied on for the 2016 Elections.
These are part of reform proposals the party is putting forward for consideration by the Electoral Commission (EC).
In a 30-page electoral reform document to the Electoral Commission, the party also proposed that “constituency collation forms should be in multiples and copies should be given out to agents of the candidates and one posted conspicuously at the constituency collation centre”.
The EC has set up an Electoral Reform Committee to look into the recommendations by the Supreme Court after the 2012 Election Petition. In 2013, the EC also asked for reforms from political parties and other stakeholders on election matters.
NPP proposals
As part of the proposals, the NPP is calling for statistical data supporting the new voters register (ie total number of votes, split by gender, polling stations, electoral area, constituency, region and country) should be provided to political parties.
The NPP said the regulation 2 (3) of C.I. 72 Public Election (Regulation2012) be amended to read as follows: “The commission shall, at least thirty (30) days before the first day of national registration of voters, inform political parties and the general public by publication in the gazette, EC website, on radio, on television or other medium of mass communication, of a place it designates as a registration centre, which shall include overseas registration as well .
“The public elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2012, C.I. 72 be amended to ensure that political parties receive copies of the final register of voters based on which the EC will be conducting the general election at least ninety (90) days before the conduct of the elections.”
Among the 71 proposals put forward by the party is also the amendment of regulations 1(3) (d) of C.I. 72 registration of voters to exclude the National Health Insurance (NHIA) card pursuant to the Supreme Court’s judgement on the issue and regulation 1 (4) so that a registered voter cannot guarantee more than two (2) potential registrants. Copies of such registration should be made available to the political parties and should be accessible by the general public.
Pink sheet
On the pink sheet, which featured prominently in the 2012 Petition, the party proposed that every pink sheet (for special voting centres and ordinary polling stations) must have a unique identification (serial number) and embossed with the polling station code, and polling station name among other features.
It asked the EC to order a maximum of two (2) sets of pink sheets per polling station with different colours to differentiate the two and that the EC ‘’strong room’’ should be abolished.
On the vexed issue of over-voting, the party said the Supreme Court’s decision on the election petition resulted in some confusion about the interpretation of the election laws. Parliament can and should bring clarity to this issue by enacting appropriate laws that stipulate, in very clear terms, the meaning of over-voting, the consequences of over-voting, absence of presiding officer’s signature, no biometric verification, and the like and recommended that a constitutional instrument be passed to govern the conduct of general elections and the legal consequence of over-voting should be stated clearly.
Efficiency of equipment
The party urged the EC to ensure that the efficiency of the verification equipment was guaranteed and that a back-up mechanism and equipment which allows verification of finger print authentication in the event of equipment failure.
Whilst recommending that no polling station shall have more than 500 voters, polls must close at 3:00pm to allow counting to be done in daylight.
It further recommended that no new constituencies must be created by the EC with less than one year to the elections, adding that where new constituencies are created it should be based on population quota as specified in the Constitution.
The party called for an amendment of the Presidential Elections Act 1992 (Act 285) which it claimed was totally silent on the grounds on which a petition challenging the validity of the election of a person as president may be brought, the reliefs that may be sought, grounds for annulling/cancelling presidential election result, offences in relation to a presidential election, punishment etc.
It further called for the amendment of section 42 of Act 284, Representation of the Peoples Act, which required the written consent of the Attorney-General before election-related crimes could be prosecuted, to allow the police to carry out election-related violence and that the Inter- Party Advisory Committee be given a legal backing by Parliament.
In concluding, the party observed that free, fair, transparent and credible elections were key to viable democratic development and that the party was adding its voice to the recommendations made by the Supreme Court and civil society organisations and political parties for credible and trustworthy elections to promote democracy in the country.
