Jean Mensa Admits Voter Register Not Flawless, Urges Stakeholders To Cooperate With EC
- The Electoral Commission (EC) said the current voter's register is merely provisional and an audit is underway
- She said the EC was committed to ensuring that an accurate and credible voter’s roll would be available on election day
- Meanwhile, she reaffirmed the EC's independence and stressed the commission will not be pushed to take any actions
The Electoral Commission (EC) has admitted that the voter register for the 2024 elections contains errors and should not be considered final.
EC boss Jean Mensa said they were still undertaking a mandated audit of the register to clean it up before Ghanaians go to the polls in December.
Source: UGC
She assured concerned political parties, civil society organisations, and the general public that the EC was committed to ensuring that an accurate and credible voter’s roll would be available on election day.
Mensa made these assurances at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at the EC headquarters in Accra.
She explained that the current version of the voter’s register is provisional, and members of the general public would be given the opportunity to raise claims and objections to the register during the voter’s register exhibition process.
Jean Mensa replies to NDC’s concerns
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, also took the opportunity to respond to calls by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for a forensic audit of the register.
The opposition party alleged that they had identified discrepancies in the voter register and called for an independent audit of it.
The political party even embarked on a nationwide street protest to demand an immediate audit of the register.
However, Jean Mensa responded to the party’s concerns, saying they were premature.
She said while their concerns were valid, the process for ensuring that the register was ready for the election was not yet over and that the party should exercise some patience while the EC finishes its mandated work.
She stated that the EC will accept all criticisms and ensure that it works with stakeholders to enhance the register’s credibility.
Mensa also affirmed that it would fiercely defend its independence and integrity throughout the electioneering process despite pressure from political parties and civil society organisations.
EC makes corrections in the register
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the EC made corrections to the initial data on those registered during the voter registration exercise.
The commission said that 143,014 Ghanaians had been registered, but mistakes were also noted in figures from the Upper East Region.
It explained that the figure for day three in the area was repeated, although the errors reportedly did not affect its total tabulation figures.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
