Limited voters’ registration exercise in limbo; EC cashstrapped

The April limited voters’ registration exercise may be postponed because the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana is lacking the funding for the exercise which is precursor to the November 7 polls. Information available indicates that the Ministry of Finance is yet to make releases to the EC to undertake that crucial national exercise. Inside sources say the EC is pondering on postponing the exercise if Government does not make timely cash release to the electoral body. Worried about the implication the postponement may have on the election which processes are already in contention, the electoral body, Wednesday, engaged the Special Budget Committee of Parliament in an emergency meeting to intervene in the matter.

 The quantum of money for the limited voters’ registration exercise is immediately not known but is part of the GH?800million budget Parliament recently approved for the electoral body. Chairperson of the EC, Charlotte Osei who led the delegation from the Commission, our source said told the Committee the frustrations the Commission was going through the hands of the Finance Ministry.

The EC is billed to conduct the limited voters’ registration exercise in the last week of April this year. The exercise which was initially planned to be executed in March 2016, had to be postponed by the EC because of the absence of a legal backing document. The Limited Voter Registration exercise is to enable new voters who have attained the age of 18 and above as well as those who qualify but were unable to register to do so..