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158,584 multiple names deleted from voters' register - EC

Mrs Charlotte Osei said about158,584 multiple names have been be deleted in collaboration with political parties.

 

The Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Charlotte Osei has indicated about 158,584 multiple names have been deleted in collaboration with political parties from the current voters' register.

This follows a petition by the New Patriotic Party over concerns that 78,000 ghost names have been identified on the Ghanaian register.

But the EC said about 158,584 multiple names have been be deleted.

Mrs Charlotte Osei noted that we cannot use an emotive definition to judge who is a Ghanaian on the voters' register.

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She said people must avoid an emotive definition of citizenship and focus on a constitutional definition of Ghanaian citizenship.

"Constitutionally even an adopted person can be a Ghanaian. People who look different may be constitutionally entitled to a voters' ID card," she stated

At the second and last day of its stakeholders forum in Accra, the EC said Electoral officials collect encrypted biometric data which is uploaded to the district server and transmitted to a central server.

"There is a system to flag suspected duplicate registrations and deleted upon the recommendations of the adjudicating offer, the supervisor and district committee. Polling agents of all political parties are accredited to monitor the registration exercise.

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Is it still possible to have multiple registration? She rhetorically ask. Yes it is possible, she answered. This is because the system is over 98% efficient but still not perfect."

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She stressed that "the register is not static. It is constantly been updated.  About 158, 584 multiple names have been be deleted in collaboration with political parties."

She stated that minors are lured by political parties, dishonest parents who are lured by political parties. Some parents also just don't know the age of their children.

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Mrs Charlotte Osei noted about  8,000 voters were identified as 18 year-old at one registration exercise and some years after, they still claimed they were still 18 years.

She added that Ghana has estimated 27.7 million with 15.3 million estimated voter population but it is actually more than 14 million on the voters’ register.

"At the time they were creating the register they had only one month so they could not finish covering the estimated voter population," the EC noted.

On the I.D system, she stated that "people have a high incentive to be on the electoral roll. People need Voters’ ID to open bank accounts and several other purposes.

The National I.D system could have reduced the incentive to register. The Electoral card is the de facto national I.D card. If the NIS was in place it will reduce to incentive to register minors."

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The two major political parties – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – were on the floor on the first day, Thursday, to make their presentations.

While NPP was led by its former chairman, Peter Mac Manu, in its presentation, which called for a replacement of the register, the incumbent party was led by its General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who accused the NPP of been on a wild goose chase said the register should be maintained.

Other political parties such as the Convention People’s Party (CPP), People’s National Convention (PNC) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) made their presentations.

CSOs like Ghana Institute of Public Policy Options (GIPPO), Center for Democratic Development (CDD), IMANI-Ghana and Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) also made presentations.

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