EC urged to do mopping up exercise on registration

Accra, July 16, GNA - Mr. Edward Salia, NDC-Jirapa, on Friday said because of many problems encountered during the voter registration exercise, the Electoral Commission should combine the impending photo-taking mopping up exercise with a moping up involving registration of voters who failed to register, when the exercise took place.

"Based upon evidence at least from the Jirapa Constituency in the Upper West Region and observations by other concerned and interested individuals and organisations on the registration exercise elsewhere, there are significant numbers of individuals who were available but unable to register as voters for reasons far beyond their control."

"They are still available, willing and ready to register and take their pictures if they are given a window of opportunity to do so now," Mr. Salia told the house in a statement.

The member was of the opinion that "if the mopping up exercise adds registration to the picture taking aspect, the percentage of eligible citizens registered would be higher and participation rates in the election could also be higher thereby inuring to the collective improvement of our democratic practice. The beneficiaries will be all Ghanaians."

He said reasons such as shortage of logistics and human inefficiencies, among others, which made it impossible for some people to register, should be reasons for an opportunity to get more people to register during the picture-taking mopping up exercise.

Mr. Salia urged the EC to come up quickly with details of their programme on the mopping up on the picture-taking exercise to enhance "better education and greater participation by all concerned with the exercise."