Utilizing Ghana Card as Voters' ID will disappoint millions - Afari-Gyan

A previous Chairperson for the Electoral Commission has exhorted the outfit against utilizing the public distinguishing proof card, prevalently referred to as, Ghana Card as the sole prerequisite for casting a ballot in the 2024 political decision.

As indicated by Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, a huge number of qualified electorates will be disappointed by the choice.

In a meeting with Graphic Online, he said numerous Ghanaians are finding it hard to get their Ghana Cards, accordingly, making it the main type of distinguishing proof for citizen enlistment was against constituent inclusivity, decency and equity.

"Ghanaian residents don't lose their citizenship assuming that they are 18 years or more established yet don't have the Ghana Card.

"Thus, the debatable inquiry is: the reason make the Ghana Card the main method for ID for motivations behind laying out qualification to enroll to cast a ballot," he questioned.

Dr Afari-Gyan was sharing his considerations in an explanation made accessible to Graphic Online on another Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) on elector enlistment which has been laid before Parliament by the EC.

In July, the EC set before Parliament a draft C.I named: Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021, as would be considered normal to control ceaseless citizen enlistment.

Per the new C.I, the EC is looking to make the Ghana Card the sole type of distinguishing proof for qualified citizens who need to get onto the appointive roll.

The C.I has been alluded to the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament. By show, the council is led by an individual from the Minority bunch.

Nonetheless, even before the EC laid the new C.I before Parliament, the resistance National Democratic Congress (NDC) blamed the EC for intending to order another citizens register for the 2024 general political decision, with the Ghana Card as the main source archive.

Utilizing Ghana card to assemble new electors' register will weaken the nation - Minority

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, said any move by the EC to order another citizens register with the Ghana Card exclusively as the method of distinguishing proof wouldn't look good for the country, particularly when the EC had exhausted immense amounts of cash to gather another register which was utilized for the 2020 general political race.

The EC exposed the affirmation by the NDC and said the new C.I was simply intended to direct nonstop enlistment, with the Ghana Card as the source report.

"We are not gathering another citizens register. The one we gathered in 2020 is a tenable one, a generally excellent register so we are not administering it," the Director of Electoral Services of the EC, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, told the media.

Try not to utilize Ghana Card for 2024 Voters Register - Minority MPs tell EC

In the mean time, in Parliament, the new C.I laid by the EC caused warmed discusses, with the Minority requiring the EC to come and make sense of the reasoning for the utilization of the Ghana Card as the main source report.

At Parliament's perched on July 21, the First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ibrahim Ahmed, said it was vital for the EC to brief the House on the new C.I. to eradicate any "questionable issue of doubt."

On his part, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, dismissed the call by the Minority, depicting it as untimely, adding that the following general political race was not yet due.

In the mean time, the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) responsible for Corporate Services, has explained that said without a Ghana Card, one won't be enlisted to cast a ballot.

No Ghana Card, no democratic - EC cautions planned citizens

Dr. Bossman Asare talking in a meeting on JoyNews' The Pulse on Wednesday said is on the grounds that the Ghana Card has had an effect in our general public with right around 17 million Ghanaians enlisted for it.

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Mary Marfo

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