Selective franchise have ruined many African nations

Accra, Oct 21,GNA-The legitimisation of the exclusion of certain people from electoral processes is the cause of most conflicts in Africa, Mr Kojo Armah, member for Evalue Gwira said on Friday.

" We should therefore spend time and resources to perfect our electoral system and the right to vote and to be represented, to save our democracy."

Mr Kojo Armah, who is the Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs was answering questions at a public forum in Accra. The Committee had organised its last public consultation forum on the Representation of the People (amendment)bill and the Whistle Blower Bill after touring Europe and all regional capitals.

The two bills are before the committee and are slated to be read the second time when Parliament resumes sitting next week. One Mr Kwadwo Fourdjour, had questioned the need for the committee's globetrotting if the Representation of the People (amendment) bill was just a matter of legal and constitutional necessity.

Mr Osei Kwame Prempeh, Chairman of the Committee, had remarked earlier that, while the right to vote was a constitutional right, section eight of the Representation of the People Law PNDCL 284 limited that right to a specific group of Ghanaians abroad and therefore, offended the Article 45 of the constitution. He said the Bill was only seeking to amend that section of the law to enable all Ghanaians abroad to exercise their constitutional rights.