We’ve begun compiling names of NHIS registrants – EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) has said it has begun compiling names of all voters who registered with a National Health Insurance Card (NHIS) as proof of identity ahead of the 2012 elections in compliance with a Supreme Court directive.

The Supreme Court issued the order on Thursday and asked the Commission to comply within six days. The Court also ordered the EC to submit to it details of how it intends to clean up the electoral roll.

Speaking to journalists in Accra on Friday, a Deputy Commissioner of the EC in-charge of Operations, Amadu Sulley, said the commission was working hard to meet the deadline given by the apex court.

“If you don't print the provisional voters' register, how do we exhibit them? As I talk, they are printing them and we need to print around 29,000 because these provisional registers should go to all registered political parties,” Mr. Sulley pointed out.

“They have to look at them and see what information is inside because whatever we are doing should be very transparent.”

EC working hard to beat 6-day window
Mr. Amadu reiterated the EC’s commitment to complying with the Supreme Court’s order but he was however tight-lipped on questions on the EC's ability to comply with the Supreme Court's directive.

“That is another question, whatever it is, if you don't meet the deadline as you are saying, then it is another situation that you have got to face,” he retorted adding that the commission's officers were working hard to “beat the time that the apex court of this country has given the commission.”

Responding to concerns about the EC's ability to hold the elections on November 7, Mr. Sulley indicated that plans were in place to hold the elections as scheduled pending the passing of a draft bill seeking to amend the 1992 Constitution to move the mandated December 7 date for presidential and parliamentary elections to the first Monday in November of an election year.

“We have prepared our program of activities. So long as the amendment goes through that the election takes place on the first Monday of November, which falls on the 7^th, we are prepared to do it… So far so good. Whatever activity we are going to do, we have got the input to enable us perform so that we get the output.”

EC can't produce NHIS registrants in 6 days – CODEO 

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), has suggested that the EC may not be able to furnish the Supreme Court with the full list of persons who registered onto the electoral roll with NHIS cards within six days.

Speaking to Citi News, the National Coordinator of CODEO, Albert Kofi Arhin, said the EC does not have all the documents in its database for it to be able to fully determine all those who registered using NHIS cards, for subsequent deletion.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana