Bishops Conference expresses concern about vote buying

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has expressed concern about the phenomenon of vote buying and occultism which is creeping into the national politics.

The Bishops Conference in a communiqué issued in Bolgatanga, at the end of its preliminary Assembly and read by the President, Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu, condemned instances where voters were induced by politicians with money or gifts and were made to swear to vote in a particular way.

The Conference called on all politicians and the electorate to desist from such acts particularly during the forthcoming general election since it did not augur well for the growth of democracy.

The Conference further condemned the involvement of some chiefs in partisan politics and called on chiefs to stay away from such act, since the Chieftaincy Institution is a noble legacy.

Whilst commending the Electoral Commission (EC) for involving all major stakeholders in finding acceptable solution to the Voters Register, the Conference reiterated the need for the EC to be given a free hand to operate objectively in the interest of the nation.

The Conference, however, proposed that in the name of transparency, the EC should display the current voters’ register on its website to enable all Ghanaians to check the list of voters and know where their names are located.

On the way forward for a credible voters register for future elections, the Conference proposed that the National Identification Authority must be resourced to deliver on its mandate of registering all Ghanaians for the compilation of a reliable database, which the EC could use to compile a credible voters’ register.

It also called on the Government to provide adequate financial resources and logistics to the National Commission for Civic Education to educate all Ghanaians on the rights and requirements of voters.