The National Peace Council has backed the Electoral Commission’s decision to adopt the Ghana Card as the primary document for voter registration in future elections.
This endorsement comes after initial concerns and debates over the feasibility of using the Ghana Card exclusively for registration, considering challenges in its issuance by the National Identification Authority (NIA).
Initially, the EC had proposed using only the Ghana Card for voter registration, a move that sparked criticism from various stakeholders due to accessibility issues surrounding the Ghana Card.
Many raised concerns about the potential disenfranchisement of voters who may not possess the card or face difficulties obtaining it from the NIA.
Following a closed-door meeting with the Electoral Commission to discuss electoral preparations, Dr Ernest Adu Gyamfi, Chairman of the National Peace Council, expressed support for the EC’s stance.
He highlighted the flaws in the current guarantor system, which has been criticised for compromising the integrity of the electoral process, thereby endorsing the adoption of the Ghana Card as a more robust alternative.
Dr Gyamfi emphasised the importance of ensuring a credible electoral process that enhances public trust and minimises opportunities for electoral malpractice.
He underscored that using the Ghana Card could streamline voter registration procedures, potentially reducing instances of irregularities associated with the guarantor system.
“The reality is that until we accept the Ghana card or one system as our form of registration, the figures they gave us, 63 per cent of those who registered within this short period used the guarantor system, which is high. Ghana cards are 39 per cent so that the whole system of busing people will continue.”
“You bring people from a different constituency, if I think that this is my safe zone and I have enough votes when they move people from the constituency, then you go and say,’ Where’s your card, where do you live?’, somebody comes in and say I know him. How can you challenge those things?” he quizzed.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
