Voters` Register opens July 31 – August 10
Loading ...The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has told Joy FM that the Voters’ Register will open from July 31 to August 10.
The limited registration exercise is to enable the EC register new voters for the 2008 elections.
Dr. Afari-Gyan told Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah on the Super Morning Show that the 11-day exercise will open to Ghanaians who have now attained the eligible voting age of 18 or above or those qualified but for various reasons were not able to register the last time it was opened.
“If your name is already in the register and you try to register again it’s an offence for which you can go to jail.”
About 5000 locations (Electoral Areas) will be opened nationwide as registration points for the exercise and the EC estimates that less than a million people will be registered.
Another date will be announced later for the transfer of votes for duly registered voters who have relocated to new constituencies.
Dr. Afari-Gyan said there is sufficient time for preparation for the 2008 elections and said concerns of running out of time with a crowded elections time-table are unfounded.
“We have sufficient time to do all that we need to do. What is most important is for us to get through this limited registration. You see people are under all kinds of wrong impressions. They are talking about ‘you must take nominations in September’. We do not have to take nominations in September, we do so to give ourselves sufficient time to work. The law says that from the time we take nominations, it should not be less than 30 days to the holding of the elections nor 90 days. We prefer to take the 90 days so that we can have time and can work smoothly to the election but we are not bound to take the 90 days. We can take anything between the 90 days and the 30 days so we have not infringed on any legal deadline,” he said.
On resources for the conduct of the election, he said the EC has so far run on schedule and discounted claims that the Commission was without sufficient resources.
“The people who say that we don’t, let them give you the evidence for it. …You need different resources at different times, this is what everybody has to know, …you don’t need all the resources at the same time. I will need a certain amount to pay election officials, that will be in December, should that money be given to me now? So what we do in election budgeting is what we call phased-release of money and as at now the monies that we’ve asked for, we’ve got the money.”
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