The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to come up with a road map on steps it will take to provide a credible register for the November 7, 2016 general election.
The group also urged the EC to be transparent and inclusive in the management of the process of addressing the challenges with the current register in order to gain public trust in the run-up to the elections. In a statement issued by CODEO and signed by its National Coordinator, Mr Albert Arhin, yesterday, the group called on the EC to update Ghanaians on the current state of the voters register before it commenced the Limited Voter Registration Exercise (LVRE).
“CODEO also suggests that the EC consult and secure world-class expertise, local or international, to help in the scientific auditing of the register and subsequent cleaning,” the statement said.
Background
The call by CODEO follows the growing brouhaha among political parties and some civil society groups over the credibility of the current register and the implementation of the recommendation of the five-member committee that was set up by the EC to probe issues relating to the existing register.
While some political parties, especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP), hold the view that the Justice VCRAC Crabbe Committee recommended a validation of the voters register, others, especially the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), say the EC was not categorical that validation ought to be the only means to clean the register.
Some groups have held demonstrations, especially in the Ashanti Region, to impress on the EC to roll out the validation process.
Stakeholder engagements
In the circumstance, CODEO observed that it was important for the EC to take immediate steps through stakeholder engagements to address the problem of ghost names in the register.
“CODEO wishes the EC maximum success in managing the electoral process and ensuring that the 2016 elections are peaceful and its outcomes credible,” the group said.
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