EC to hand over ‘guarantor contractors’ to security agencies

The Electoral Commission (EC) on Tuesday warned that persons who are found to be acting as ‘guarantor contractors’ would be handed over to the security agencies.

Such an act, according to the Commission was illegal under the Constitutional Instrument (CI) 91 and that such persons would face the law.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency Mr Samuel Tettey, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations said the CI 91 states that a registered voter who was the applicant’s parent, sibling, spouse, guardian and other are the only persons who can serve as a guarantor.

He said the law specifies that an applicant must be well known to the guarantor and that anything contrary to that constitutes an electoral offence punishable by law.

According to the CI 91, he said, it was an offence to “make an entry of statement, which that person knows to be false or does not believe to be true for registering a voter”.

He noted that under the guarantor window, the individual vouching was required to swear an oath affirming that he or she knows the applicant, is qualified to register as a voter that registration centre.

Mr Tettey said people who commit such an offence are liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than five hundred penalty units or a term of imprisonment of not more than two years or both.

He reiterated that the collection of cards of registered applicants and writing of contact details at the back of the voter's identity cards are unlawful acts.

The Deputy Chair cautioned agents of political parties at the registration centres to stop the collection of the voter's ID cards of applicants with the view to taking details from the cards.

He reminded applicants not to give out their contacts to political party agents or any official of the commission.