Explainer: Why the Electoral Commission would find it hard to sift out foreigners and minors
- Over 16 million people registered for the just-ended voters' registration exercise
- The EC chairperson, Jean Mensa, opined that the new register includes names of minors and foreigners
- According to her, the challenge processes initiated at all districts throughout the country would help unearth these illegal persons
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Despite taking off with a lot of technical hitches and all sorts of incidents at registration centres, the just ended voters' registration exercise has been praised as successful.
The Electoral Commissioner, Jean Adukwei Mensa, announced that over 16 million people had successfully got their names registered onto the new voters' roll ahead of the December 2020 polls.
She, however, stated the possibility of having minors and foreigners also having their names on the voters' registers. According to her, she has a lot of confidence in the challenge processes initiated at all districts throughout the country to unearth these illegal persons and rid the register of those who do not qualify to be on the register.
YEN.com.gh is however convinced that it would be very hard for the Electoral Commission (EC) to tell who is and who is not a foreigner and a minor.
Source: Original
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Since it has a lot to do with how old a person might be, our system has made it possible for people to get birth certificates done without any proof of verification. This single process would allow an individual who is not of age to get documents that prove s/he is an eligible voter.
The Communication Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has also said no machine or equipment in the world can detect who a minor or foreigner is. YEN.com.gh cannot help but agree with the comments of the NPP communicator.
With the issues regarding as to whether or not the registered voter is Ghanaian, that could also be a tough nut to crack as this cannot be easily proven. Individuals identified as foreigners can easily challenge the process with birth certificates or even guarantors to prove they are truly Ghanaians.
Speaking on Accra 100.5FM, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said the party is happy about the EC’s admission of that anomaly as well as its resolve to clean the register of such names.
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Meanwhile, former president, John Dramani Mahama, has described the just ended 2020 voters' registration exercise as a successful one.
John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) initially opposed the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to compile a new register for the 2020 polls.
However, in a Facebook Live interview, the NDC leader opined that the EC’s exercise met the expectations of the party.
READ ALSO: New voters' register still has minors and foreigners on it - EC Boss admits
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Source: YEN.com.gh
