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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has called for further engagements from the Electoral Commission (EC) ahead of laying of the Constitutional Instrument (CI) that seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole document for Election 2024 voters registration.
The Speaker has thus reiterated his notice to the Commission to engage the House extensively before laying the CI.
“If what I am hearing is anything to go by, the Electoral Commission is giving notice, I believe that is not the case because they know they cannot go on the offensive against an arm of government and we are not just a state institution, we are not an administrative body, this is an arm of government,” Mr Bagbin cautioned.
Members of Parliament, especially those on the Minority side have been asking questions about the EC’s ability to effectively and efficiently apply the CI in light of challenges with acquisition of the Ghana Card.
The EC has repetitively assured the citizenry it has no intention to use Ghana Card as source of identification for 2024 general election and would continue to issue voters identification cards which would be used for the elections.
The draft constitutional instrument entitled: Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021 has sparked controversy, especially the section that sought to make Ghana Card sole form of identification for eligible voters who wanted to get onto the national register.
However, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has raised issues with the C.I. stating that it had never been party
to any consultation in whatsoever form that agreed to make Ghana Card sole identification document for upcoming limited voter registration exercise and has served notice it will use all legitimate means to oppose decision by EC to use Ghana Card as sole identification document for voter registration.
Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, a former chairman of the Commission, also contended that any attempt by the commission to use Ghana Card as sole document for voter registration would lead to disenfranchisement of millions of Ghanaians for which reason the C.I should be looked at again before Parliament gave approval.
Mr Bagbin insisted that the independence of arms meant neither the Executive nor the Judiciary control both arm and that was what separation of powers was about and they must work together because Parliament leads governments by passing the law to create the commission.
