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Group Angry Over ‘Selected’ Voter Registration Of Citizens Abroad

General News Group Angry Over Selected Voter Registration Of Citizens Abroad
AUG 15, 2020 LISTEN

A group of Ghanaians living abroad, has described as unacceptable the expected decision to conduct online voter registrations for only diplomats, international civil servants and students on Government of Ghana scholarship abroad.

The group has been campaigning for the inclusion of all Ghanaians living or staying abroad to be registered onto the electoral roll in line with the Representation of the People Amendment Act (ROPAA) which was passed in 2007.

But indications from a circular at the Ghana Embassy in the Czech Republic and sighted by Citi News, are that not all Ghanaians living or staying abroad will get the opportunity to be registered .

The Global Coordinator for the Group, Richard Dela Sky, told Citi News that the group is considering other options to get the electoral management body to have them captured on the register for the 2020 general elections.

“We feel this is completely unacceptable. It is a decision that flies in the face of the High Court on the basis of what we have seen so far. It does seem that the Electoral Commission is trying to use the procedure to be discriminatory. We find that objectionable. We are speaking to our lawyers.”

“We are also aware that Parliament just rose in Accra but we do believe that a Parliament that believes that the people have the rights to vote and must do what it takes for the people to vote can be recalled that those of us outside the country get registered to vote. So what I can say is we are looking at all the options on the table,” he lamented.

Mr. Sky also discounted claims by the Electoral Commission that it had responded to the Group's earlier petition on making alternate arrangements for their registration.

“Unfortunately, we have not received any response whatsoever from the Electoral Commission. I have heard the EC chief say there was a response to our petition which was submitted on the 29th of June. Unfortunately, I must say that claim is inaccurate. The Electoral Commission has not written to us in response to our petition to them. I have made efforts to them and we have not received any information from them.”

— citinewsroom

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