Fake news can undermine credibility of ongoing voters' registration exercise – IDEG cautions media

The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) has urged the media in Ghana to be circumspect in their reportage on issues pertaining to the pending 2024 general elections, particularly the ongoing Limited Voter Registration exercise.

In a press statement copied to GhanaWeb, IDEG admonished the media to ensure that its reportage on the Limited Voter Registration exercise, which started on May 7, and expected to end on May 27, 2024, is devoid of misleading information.

It cautioned that if the media misinforms Ghanaians about the registration, which is to capture eligible Ghanaian voters who are not on the voters' register, it will affect the credibility of the exercise, and consequently the general elections.

"The media should maintain their role as impartial sources of information, devoid of fake news and disinformation that could undermine the credibility of the entire exercise," part of the statement reads.

IDEG also urged the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) to find solutions to all the challenges experienced in the registration exercise so far and also address the issues that have been raised by the various stakeholders, in order to ensure that the country has a credible register for the December 7, 2024 general elections.

"The Electoral Commission should continue to address challenges and concerns of political parties and the public dispassionately to maintain the integrity of the registration exercise," it added.

It said that its initial observations of the ongoing exercise shows "cases of equipment breakdown and network failure that caused delays in registering voters in some parts of the country; isolated instances of confrontation between political parties and in some cases, with security personnel; exploitation of some young voters to register illegally," adding that all these issues must be addressed

The Policy Research and Advocacy Institute (IDEG) also announced that it has mobilised and deployed volunteers as Voter Educators and Observers in all 16 regions of the country to observe the ongoing registration exercise.

"The objective is to, among others, educate citizens, particularly eligible young people, about the process to ensure their effective participation, and support the efforts of the EC and other stakeholders, such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE)," it stated.

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