Deputy EC boss in charge of Corporate Service, Dr Eric Bossman Asare
The Electoral Commission (EC) has described as “strange”, the accusation that it is increasing the number of registered voters in certain regions, at a time where it has deepened transparency in the entire registration process.
It noted that the Commission will never be involved in anything that seeks to undermine the country’s democracy.
Setting the records straight on what occurred in the Offinso North and Afigya-Sekyere districts in the Ashanti Region, during its 4th edition of ‘Let the Citizens Know,’ the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa, said the statistics of persons who register per day is printed and given to all political parties at every registration centre. This, she says, is to enable the parties to do their own collation as well.
“I believe if the EC had an intention not to make these figures available, that print-out will not be done. The print-out is given to every political party on a daily basis to enable them do their own tabulation alongside the EC and to ensure transparency and accuracy,” she said.
“Along the way, there may be human errors here and there and, as we emphasise it, we do have a process of due diligence and once the provisional figures are checked out, we still have the opportunity to do the due diligence that is necessary,” the EC Chairperson added.
Corrections made
Mrs Mensa indicated that it is not only in those two districts that some errors were detected, adding that even in the Greater Accra some were detected but have all been corrected.
“Indeed, we have made corrections to the figures in several places as a way of ensuring accurate figures are reported to the general public. We even detected what happened in the two districts and corrected them before the NDC started highlighting them,” the Commission said.
“We also understand the regional branch of the NDC enquired from the Ashanti Regional Director about the developments in the two districts to which the latter was informed about everything. So, to still be hearing in the news that some figures have been added, when it is complete fabrication, is unacceptable to say the least. This Commission is committed to the highest standards of transparency, fairness, and integrity. The Commission is only determined at this time to have a credible and clean register,” it added.
4th phase
Meanwhile, the fourth phase of the registration began yesterday following a break of the process on Saturday.
Addressing the media, the Deputy Commissioner in charge of Corporate Service, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, indicated that the registration exercise at the district offices would continue for the aged, nursing mothers, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities without a break.
Dr Bossman Asare further assured eligible applicants who were yet to register that the team would be in their neighbourhoods in no time, saying, “as we indicated on Monday, registration takes place in electoral areas, so if the team has left your area but is still within your electoral area, you qualify to register.”
He urged applicants to wait patiently if the teams have not been to their registration centres since they will definitely get there.
The Deputy Electoral Commissioner indicated that as of Day-16, the Commission had registered a total of 7,279,237, constituting 48.5 per cent of the 15 million the Commission expects to register by the first week of August.
The Greater Accra Region leads with 1,524,600, followed by the Ashanti Region’s 1,319,498, with four of the regions constituting almost 60 per cent.
