EC to refer suspected double registration cases to BNI

Cape Coast, Nov.10, GNA - The December elections will be free, fair and transparent, and it would be acceptable to all Ghanaians, Mr Christian Owusu-Pare, acting Director of Public Affairs, Electoral Commission (EC) said at the weekend. According to him, the "inbuilt integrity and transparency of the system" makes it impossible for any officer or worker of the Commission to manipulate the processes to anybody's advantage adding "our position is neutral".

Mr Owusu-Pare who gave the assurance at a day's capacity workshop for media personnel in the Central Region at Cape Coast further reiterated that the Commission operates with laws and therefore its activities are always in accordance with those laws. The workshop was to build the capacity of media personnel on electoral reporting to enable them disseminate the right information to the public.

Mr Owusu-Pare said the activities of the Commission was always verifiable, and it was because of its transparent nature that personnel of the National Security and representatives of the various political parties were invited to observe the printing of the ballot papers currently in progress, which is expected to be completed within the next three weeks.

Mr Owusu-Pare said the Commission has also taken some precautionary measures against double voting and that the silicon component in the indelible ink has been increased to make it impossible to erase while some very look-alike photographs in the Voters' Register would soon be referred to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to ascertain whether they were double registrations for the culprits to be brought to book.

He urged media personnel to endeavour to be conversant with the electoral processes to enable them correct misinformation from some politicians to avoid sending wrong information to the public, particularly the listening ones, majority of who were half literates. Mr Owusu-Pare reminded the media not to confuse returning officers and polling assistants as electoral officers because electoral officers are permanent staff of the Commission.

Mr Samuel Tettey, Regional Director of the EC in his welcoming address also tasked the media to be circumspect and desist from reports that could inflame passions during the December polls.