The Chairperson of Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa has confidently justified the Constitutional Instrument (CI) that is seeking to make the Ghana Card the only document for voter registration in the next general elextions.
Ghana Card, Mrs. Mensa indicated will not be used to vote in the 2024 general elections but to be used for the voter registration exercise.
Briefing Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, Mrs.Mensa pointed out that “It is important to rehash that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole document of identification will ensure and guarantee the credibility and integrity of our register and elections, it will prevent the enrolment of minors to register, it will prevent foreigners from being registered to vote and it will eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse and which promotes conflicts and violence.”
She continued that “The Ghana Card will not be used for voting in 2024, it will be used to register.”
This comes after tbe Minority raised issues against the proposed CI.
Last Thursday, February 23, the Minority rejected officials from the EC and the National Identification (NIA) who were in Parliament to brief the House on the proposed CI.
They were expecting Jean Mensa herself to appear.
Speaking on the matter, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South Haruna Iddrisu said that the Minority members are opposed to any move by the EC to use the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voter registration.
He says any such move by the EC will hurt the right to vote and be voted for.
The former Minority Leader alleged that there are 3.5million people who are without Ghana Card.
He therefore quizzed whether the EC is going to deny all these 3.5 million people from exercising their right to vote because they do not have a Ghana Card.
“There is the right to vote and be voted for, the NDC will defend that right,” he said.
“We are contesting the use of Ghana Crad as the sole reference for purposes of getting registered as a voter,” he said.
But Madam Mensa indicated that the guarantor system for voter registration exercise will be completely eliminated by the use of Ghana Card as the sole identification document for the registration since the guarantor system is prone to abuse.
She further told Parliament on the Constitutional Instrument (CI) that “The use of only Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the credibility of the register and elections, prevent enrolment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse.”
“The Ghana Card will not be used for voting in 2024, it will be used to register,” she said.
Mrs. Mensa believes that the use of the Ghana Card as the sole identification document for voter registration will ensure a credible voter roll.
“The use of only Ghana Card will ensure and guarantee the credibility of the register and elections, prevent enrolment of minors, prevent foreigners from voting, eliminate the guarantor system which is prone to abuse,” she mentioned.
“The Ghana Card will not be used for voting in 2024, it will be used to register,” she said.
Regarding the claim by Tamale South Member of Parliament Haruna Iddrisu that there were about 3.5million people without Ghana Crad, the EC chair shot down that allegation saying that the National Identification Authority (NIA) has told the commission that ”there are 3.5 blank cards in the warehouse, money have been released and funds are being released.”
By Vincent Kubi