Ghana’s Electoral Commission has suspended the compilation of a new voters’ register scheduled for April.
The Commission has taken this step due to the outbreak of coronavirus in the country and in line with the President’s directive on social distancing.
President Akufo-Addo has placed a ban on all social gatherings in the country and has advised Ghanaians to self-isolate.
In this regard, the upcoming registration scheduled to commence on April 18, through to the end of May has been halted.
“…because of the pandemic, we can’t do it on April 18″, Director of Electoral Services at the Commission, Serebour Quiacoe, said.
Addressing journalists after meeting with the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) Serebour Quiacoe said the EC hopes to commence the exercise at the end of April if the outbreak is controlled.
“We are with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and other experts; they are also monitoring the situation advising us.
“When it gets to a time when they think the situation is fertile to go ahead with the registration then they tell us…” he added.
Director of Electoral Services at the Commission also stressed that the existing register will not be used for this year’s election despite the shortcoming.
“We are going ahead with the new one,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been leading a front of opposition parties who are against the compilation.
The coalition says there is no need for a new register and all the EC needs to do is to update the current one.
The NDC has sued the Electoral Commission over the new register, arguing that that Article 45 of the Constitution only gives the EC the power to compile the register once and revise it thereof.
