Acting Director of Public Affairs for the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) Sylvia Annor says the divergent opinions held by political parties at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) level is not new.
Madam Sylvia Annor speaking on Monday, June 1 on Onua TV’s 100 Degrees hosted by Bright Kwasi Asempa said different stances have been taken by political parties but the EC always comes in as an arbiter.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been on collision course with the EC over the neglect of existing voter ID cards as one of the basic required documents for the compilation of a new register.
Not only the NDC but other political parties and civil society organisations (CSOs) have been against the EC over the decision to go ahead with the exercise despite concerns raised.
The compilation is scheduled to begin end of June to end of July.
But other political parties, like the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have supported the Commission in its resolve to have a new voter registration for the December 7 polls.
For the neutrals, the EC should have built consensus at IPAC level before prosecuting its decision to compile the new register.
But Madam Annor said this has been the stock-in-trade of IPAC “for a long time” and, as always, the Commission makes a decision that inures to the benefit of Ghana.
She said the NDC indeed expressed dissent to the decision to go ahead with the new register but the EC also explained to them why such a move was in the best interest of all.
“We leave it for the court of public opinion to judge,” she said, disclosing that about 17 other political parties were supportive of the EC.
The Commission has projected to register about 15 to 16 million Ghanaians in the exercise.
Already, the NDC has served notice that it will resist the move through all legitimate means.
One of such is its suit at the Supreme Court.
Madam Sylvia Annor said the EC as a law abiding institution will abide by any decision taken by the Court but for now its timetable to go ahead with the new registration holds.
-3news.com
