The Member of Parliament for Adentan who doubles as Communications Director for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa says his party is open to the Electoral Commission’s move for a new biometric voters’ register as long as it is the most efficient option available.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, Mr. Asamoa said the NPP will remain open to dialogue and the EC’s point of view.
“If the EC in its wisdom and mandate can justify what it needs to do and is able to resolve the financial constraints, and a new register is that which brings us some certainty and finality that satisfies the EC’s mandate, we will not be averse to it at all,” he said.
The EC has asked Parliament to approve GH¢444,846,663 for the compilation of a new voters’ register which it believes will be more credible than the existing one.
The new register proposals sparked controversy when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) together with four other political parties walked out of a meeting with the EC on the matter.
The Director of Elections for the NDC, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah claimed that the parties had not discussed the issue exhaustively enough and had made the concerns known in previous meetings
In the meantime, Mr. Asamoa said the NPP plans to present its own assessment of the new register proposal to the Commission.
“Within the constraints of time and finance, we want the best possible outcomes for the upcoming election… We will review all the options within the context of time and efficiency and finance. Those are the three main issues.”
The NDC insists that problems on the old system rather be fixed instead of opting for a new system.
The party’s Deputy General Secretary, Peter Boamah Otukunor, said the proposed expenditure could not be justified in the wake of pressing economic concerns.
“It has core implications to the economy and livelihood of the people of this country. Nurses are on strike. Teachers are on strike. There are so many economic demands that this government will need to invest in.”
“Obviously the reasons that they have presented as justification for this new voters’ register is untenable. It is unacceptable. And there is ample evidence to show that the current register is credible and all these functions that they would want the register to perform can be upgraded.”