The Electoral Commission (EC) has asked Parliament to approve GH¢444,846,663 for the compilation of a new Voters Register.
As part of its activities for the year 2020, the Commission wants to compile a new register for the general election.
Deputy Chairperson of the Commission, Mr Samuel Tettey, at a press briefing on Monday reiterated the need for a new register.
“The current register is credible but it has been stretched to a point where you don’t want to take that same risk. We want to have something that is more credible,” he said.
“If you remember, during the exhibition some of you heard that some people were not captured because of the equipment we are using…” he added.
In its budget, the EC also allocated GH¢287,842,511 for the conduct of elections.
More than GH¢27 million has also been requested for voter and electoral education and GH¢1.2 million for demarcation of electoral boundaries.
The NDC’s concerns
The biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has meanwhile, kicked against the new register.
According to the party, there is no need for a new register.
“In my opinion, there is no such need for a new Voters Register. Why do we require a new register?…Our practice has been that we replace the new register every decade,” General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said.
A member of the NDC’s legal team, Abraham Amaliba, has also claimed the Commission wants to disenfranchise some Ghanaians with the new register, Graphic online reported.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsnite Tuesday, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Peter Otukunor reiterated the party’s position that there is no need for a new register.
He said it is better for the Commission to upgrade the old register.