Former President John Agyekum Kufour has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to heed the voice of the people and put together a new voters register for the 2016 general election.
He said for the sake of getting rid of people’s perception about the current voters register, the EC should not plead excuses but listen to the call of the people.
Former President Kufuor made the call when the pressure group, ‘Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA)’, paid a courtesy call on him in Accra Thursday.
Background
The issue of whether Ghana needs a new voters register ahead of the 2016 general election has become one of the topical subjects for the past five months.
calls have been made by political parties, including the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the Convention People’s Party (CPP), to change the current voters register, since it contains many irregularities.
However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the People’s National Convention (PNC) say a review and clean-up of the register is the way to go, instead of replacing it with a new one.
Clean slate
Former President Kufuor said there was the need for the new EC Chairperson, Mrs Charlotte Osei, to start her tenure on a clean slate with a new voters register that would revive the confidence of the people.
He said the EC was not a power onto itself and, therefore, it had to listen to the voice of the people, even if the call was being made by a few people.
“People demanding something need not even be in the majority. If truly some sections feel that they need to be sure of the quality of the vote, then those people should be entitled and the EC is accountable to the people generally,” former President Kufuor said.
He explained that the independence of the EC, as guaranteed by the 1992 Constitution, should not be confused with another principle of accountability to the source of power.
“That source is the people,” he said.
LMVCA on the move
The Spokesperson of the LMVCA, Mr Ibrahim Adjei, said the pressure group would use all avenues available to push for a new voters register ahead of Election 2016.
He said the only way to ensure free, fair and transparent elections was for a new voters register to be put together.
“The benefits of putting together a new voters register should never be underestimated,” Mr Adjei said.
