Report on Bill of contention laid

Accra, Jan 18, GNA - The report on the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill was laid in Parliament on Wednesday. Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, the Chairman of the Constitutional, legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, laid it amidst yelling and murmuring from the Minority.

The Bill, which seeks to grant all Ghanaians anywhere in the world the right to register and vote in public elections in Ghana, attracted one of the biggest pool of criticism and praise. The Minority had openly declared their intention to oppose it on the floor of Parliament.

They have among others cited administrative hurdles and practical problems such as logistics and geographical distance as some of their reasons for opposing it.

The Majority sees mischief in the rhetoric of the Minority, saying that they want to deny a good number of Ghanaians living a broad the right vote in Ghana.

Some Legal analysts however contend that the amendment to the parent law was a matter of constitutional necessity that does not need a ceremonial touch.

A group called Diasporian Vote Committee (DVC), a pressure group, had threatened to seek the view of the Supreme Court on the matter if the vote on the bill fell through.