The Electoral Commission (EC) says it has not suspended its plan to compile a new voters’ register for the December 2020 general elections.
In a statement, the EC clarified that it has rather put the exercise on hold following the outbreak of the Coronavirus hence, any contrary media reportage should be disregarded.
To this end, the electoral management body said a new date for the exercise will be announced after the pandemic is fully contained.
“The Electoral Commission has noted with concern reports in sections of the media suggesting that the Registration Exercise has been suspended. The Commission wishes to state that the Registration Exercise has NOT been suspended but postponed due to the COVID- 19 pandemic currently facing us as a people. All activities relating to the registration exercise are still ongoing at the various districts and of the Commission for the smooth running of the exercise when it commences,” the EC added in the statement.
The exercise was initially scheduled for April 18, 2020, but no new date has been announced following the postponement due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Why the need for the registration?
The EC has said it wants to ensure that the register that is used on the election day is more credible and efficient than the existing one hence the need for a new Biometric Voter Management System (BVMS).
The Commission is seeking to replace its biometric machines to better address verification challenges that could occur during elections.
A key new feature the EC cited is the introduction of a facial recognition option in addition to fingerprint verification.
The EC first made the announcement on March 27, 2019, and has been granted GHS390 million to carry out a registration exercise over a period of 50 days.
But the move for the new register has been met with opposition from key political stakeholders, including the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Some opposition parties called on Ghanaians to reject the EC’s plans.
Here is the full statement from the EC
The Electoral Commission has noted with concern reports in sections of the media suggesting that the Registration Exercise has been suspended.
The Commission wishes to state that the Registration Exercise has NOT been suspended but postponed due to the COVID- 19 pandemic currently facing us as a people.
All activities relating to the registration exercise are still ongoing at the various districts and of the Commission for the smooth running of the exercise when it commences.
A new date for the Registration exercise will be announced as soon as the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.
The Commission would once again like. to assure the general public particularly electorates that are working in close collaboration with the Ghana Health Service and Ministry of Health for best practices to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic ina ll on its activities throughout the country.
The Commission wishes to assure the general public for its commitment to the delivery of free, fair and transparent elections on December 7, 2020.