The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has petitioned Parliament to halt the laying of a proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) which seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for compiling the new voters’ register.
Until the backlog of Ghana Cards has been cleared, the NDC wants the C.I. to be frozen in order not to deny “millions of citizens” the right to register and vote in the 2024 general elections.
More so, other evidence of citizenship such as the use of a Ghanaian passport and the guarantor system must be added to the Ghana Card for the registration exercise.
“Any further action on the proposed C.I. by or in Parliament should be frozen until consultations have been initiated and concluded with the major stakeholders, especially the political parties, including the NDC and civil society,” part of the petition cited by MyJoyOnline.com stated.
The petition will be presented by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, when the House sits for business on Tuesday, November 1.
EC justifies use of Ghana Card
The Electoral Commission earlier in September defended its decision to use only the Ghana Card for the voter registration exercise, saying it is still the valid and surest way to rid the register of minors and foreigners.
According to the EC’s Director of Electoral Services, it is possible for eligible voters to get their Ghana Cards before the end of their registration on October 7, 2024.
Dr Serebour Quaicoe was confident that barring any unforeseen circumstances, every qualified voter can get their identity cards to be fully registered for the 2024 general elections within the next two years.
He believes no one would be disenfranchised because all Ghanaians have enough time to access the Ghana Card.
But the NDC believes this would rather be a tool to infringe on the rights of citizens.
"Since the proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters0 Instrument (C.I.), as a subsidiary legislation, cannot override the substantive provision in the Constitution on the citizens’ right to register and to vote, and insistence on the Ghana Card as the only evidence of citizenship will deny millions of citizens the right to register and vote, other forms of evidence of citizenship such as the Ghana passport and the guarantor system must be added to the Ghana Card as evidence of citizenship in the proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I.)," the petition added.
Latest Stories
-
Debby Sway’s ‘Searching’ gains momentum weeks after release
46 seconds -
Motorsport Ghana and British High Commission host thrilling F1 Grand Prix watch party
3 minutes -
Appietus relocates to UK; sets up new studio
11 minutes -
We have moved from policy to implementation- Mahama
13 minutes -
Eni Ghana submits Declaration of Commerciality for Eban-Akoma discoveries
15 minutes -
Bawumia leads NPP delegation to commiserate with late Ernest Kumi’s family
17 minutes -
Mahama charges GoldBod taskforce to serve with integrity and discipline
22 minutes -
UEW Dean rescues abandoned school block at Tampion Kukuo
27 minutes -
Tema Port undergoes major infrastructure upgrade to support 24-hour operations
28 minutes -
Nkwanta South MCE urges factions to choose peace through dialogue, not guns
35 minutes -
Cardinal Turkson issues powerful call for collective nation-building
35 minutes -
Equatorial Coca-Cola Bottling Company acquires Voltic and West African Refreshments Limited
45 minutes -
National Service Authority farms over 5,000 acres of maize to support government’s ‘Feed Ghana’ Project
46 minutes -
Ghana, Korea strengthen climate cooperation for resilient and sustainable future
52 minutes -
Kimathi Rawlings steals the spotlight on the dancefloor with his ‘better half’ [VIDEO]
53 minutes