EC To Lay New Bill In Parliament For Ghana Card To Be Made Sole Document For Voter Registration
- The Electoral Commission will make another attempt to make the Ghana Card the sole identity document for registering to vote
- The Electoral Commission chairperson said there was full support for the move from political parties
- In an interview with YEN.com.gh, Care Ghana’s Executive Director, David Kumi Addo, said this could end up flouting the law
The Electoral Commission is set to lay a new bill in Parliament to make the Ghana Card the sole document for identifying and registering new voters.
After meeting with political parties, the commission’s chair, Jean Mensa, told Graphic Online that the move was fully supported.
Source: Facebook
Mensa said the commission would lay such a bill before Parliament during the next session.
“At the Inter-party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting, the issue of the Ghana Card was discussed extensively, and I think the advice was that going forward, the EC look at laying the bill that seeks to ensure that the Ghana Card is the sole document for the identification of a citizen,” she said.
PAY ATTENTION: All celebrity news in one place! Follow YEN's Facebook Broadcast channel and read on the go.
Election monitoring CSO Care Ghana noted that the reliance on the guarantor system during the recent limited voter registration suggests this move may be premature.
Even though the commission wanted the Ghana Card as proof of identity and citizenship, the data indicated that over 60% of new voters registered through the guarantor system instead of the Ghana card.
In an interview with YEN.com.gh, Care Ghana’s Executive Director, David Kumi Addo, said this could end up flouting the law.
"They would be disenfranchised, which is against the 1992 constitution and it is against international regulations."
EC gives assurance that the Ghana card will not be used in the 2024 elections
Ghana’s Electoral Commission earlier assured that the Ghana Card would not replace the popular voters' ID, which would be the key requirement for voting during the next general elections in 2024.
Chair of the commission Jean Mensa told Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, that contrary to speculations, the Ghana Card won’t determine whether a Ghanaian citizen eligible to vote can do so or not.
She, however, explained that the Ghana Card would be the only identification that eligible voters would need to present to enter their names in the electoral roll or voters’ register of Ghana.
Parliament previously invited the EC to explain the CI after concerns that many eligible voters would be disenfranchised if the Ghana Card replaces the voters’ ID that many eligible voters already possess.
NIA raises charges for registration services
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported that the National Identification Authority has raised charges for registration services for the Ghana Card.
The price increases for several services related to the Ghana Card will take effect from May 1, 2024.
The NIA outlined the new charges in a Facebook post, which can cost Ghanaians as much as GH¢365.
PAY ATTENTION: Stay informed and follow us on Google News!
Source: YEN.com.gh
