The Electoral Commission (EC) has affirmed its stance that extending the deadline for the ongoing limited voters registration exercise is not feasible.
Despite experiencing technical challenges during the initial two days, the Commission assured the public that the process has since progressed smoothly across the country without significant setbacks.
Commencing on May 7, 2024, and scheduled to conclude on May 27, 2024, the new voters’ registration exercise has reached its halfway mark. Speaking at a press conference in Accra, Samuel Tettey, Deputy EC Chair in Charge of Operations, emphasized that the allocated 21-day period was deemed sufficient for the completion of the registration process.
Mr Tettey acknowledged the reduced queues at registration centers compared to the initial week, attributing this improvement to the deployment of mobile teams to inaccessible areas.
He highlighted their efforts to ensure all eligible applicants have access to registration services.
As of the 13th day of the exercise, a total of 522,025 individuals had been registered, with 85.52% constituting first-time voters aged between 18-21. Gender distribution revealed that 47.21% of the registered voters were male, while 52.79% were female.
The EC had targeted registering 623,000 voters by the exercise’s conclusion.
Among those registered were 813 persons with disabilities, while the total number of challenged cases stood at 7,821. Regional statistics indicated varied levels of voter registration, with Ashanti recording the highest number at 90,480 (17.3%) and North East registering the lowest at 14,147 (2.7%).
Addressing recent allegations by Election Watch Ghana regarding the purported use of “stolen” Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits, Mr Tettey refuted these claims, clarifying that five laptops, not BVR kits, were stolen.
He dismissed the notion that the missing laptops could compromise the integrity of the registration process, reassuring the public of the EC’s commitment to transparency and efficiency.
As the limited voters registration exercise progresses, the EC remains focused on ensuring a credible and inclusive electoral roll for future elections, urging citizens to participate actively in the democratic process and disregard unfounded speculations regarding the registration procedures.
Source:dailyguidenetwork.com
