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Discrepancies
in Ashanti Region voter’s register incredible – EC
Accra, April 30, Ghanadot/GNA – The Electoral Commission
(EC) on Wednesday said figures in the alleged bloated
voters’ register of the Ashanti Region are incredible and
thorough investigations were needed to clear the
discrepancies.
“Provisional analysis of the figures revealed that between
2004 and 2006 the voter population of some of these
constituencies doubled. This cannot happen…I don’t think we
should concentrate our efforts in propounding conspiracy
theories but rather we must all unite to find out how it
happened,” Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the EC, said at
the Greater Accra Region Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC)
meeting in Accra.
The regional IPAC meeting is on the theme: “Building
Confidence in the Outcome of the 2008 Elections.” It is
aimed at offering a platform for the political parties to
have insight into the work of the EC and for explanations on
any issues of concern.
The meeting organized by the EC with support from Friedrich
Ebert Foundation and KAB Governance Consult would discuss
topics, including: In-built Integrity of Ghana's Electoral
Process; Results and Challenges of the Replacement of Lost
Voter ID Cards; Revision of the voters' Register -
Challenges and Expectations; Expectations of the Commission
from Political Parties Towards Credible Elections in
December 2008.
On the operations of the special Independent Investigative
Committee set up to examine the discrepancies in the voters
register, Dr Afari-Gyan explained the commission had initial
problem with its formation.
He said the Ghana Statistical Service, which was part of the
original institution suggested to be part of the committee,
declined to participate and this affected the inaugural
timetable.
The Independent Investigative Committee is to examine the
discrepancies in electoral figures of about 13
constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
The EC on April 11, this year announced the establishment of
a nine-member Independent Investigative Committee to
analytically scrutinize the voters’ register to establish
the legitimacy or otherwise, of the alleged bloated register
in the Ashanti Region.
The Committee is made up of two EC Officials, four
representatives of the political parties and an official
each from the West African Examinations Council, and the
Bureau of National Investigations.
The Committee had a two-week mandate from the day of
inauguration to complete the task of delving into the NDC’s
complaints of the bloated
register.
The Committee was also mandated to scrutinize the source of
the discrepancies and how to prevent its occurrence and make
the appropriate recommendations to the Commission.
Professor John Evans Atta Mills, flag bearer of the NDC,
expressed concern about the bloating of the voters’ register
in 13 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
He said the figures in the 13 constituencies were so
outrageous that there was the need for proper investigations
to set the records straight, adding that any political party
that believed in democracy should find out why the register
was bloated in the 13 constituencies.
Professor Mills stated that the issue should not be the
worry of the NDC alone but all the political parties in the
country.
The party claimed that they got information on the bloated
figure from the EC on a CD Rom after writing officially to
the Commission.
GNA
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