Minority fights new EC CI in parliament, want backlog of Ghana Cards cleared

The minority is expected to submit a petition to parliament to halt the presentation of proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) instrument (C.I) until the backlog of Ghana Cards, which the National Identification Authority has admitted is cleared. On today’s Order Paper, the petition was listed to be presented by the minority Leader to the house. Its states; “Since proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Instrument (C.1.), as a subsidiary legislation cannot override the substantive provision in the Constitution on the citizens' right to register and to vote, and insistence on the Ghana Card as the only evidence of citizenship will deny millions of citizens the right to register and to vote, other forms of evidence of citizenship such as Ghanaian passport and the guarantor system must be added to the Ghana Card as evidence of citizenship in the proposed Constitutional instrument (C.I.); “Any further action on the proposed C.I. by or in Parliament should be frozen until consultations have been initiated and concluded with the major stakeholders, especially the political parties, including the NDC, and civil society,” the petition added. Last Friday, the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin stated that he is yet to receive a brief on the new constitutional instrument (CI). According to him, should the Electoral Commission fail to meet the leader of the house, then they should forget about the laying the CI before the house. “…I have not been given any brief by the EC on any proposed instrument coming from them. And so I raised this sometime ago, I’m yet to receive them to be briefed on them. Until that is done, they should forget about laying such Instruments in the House,” he said. Few months back, the Electoral commission announced the proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2021 Constitutional Instrument which seeks to make Ghana Card the only proof of nationality for its impending limited registration. This comes after the minority raised concerns on the failure of the business committee to program the EC report and the NIA report on Thursday. He said once the meeting with the EC took place some three months ago, there was a need for the Committee to provide a report before the house. NYA/WA

The minority is expected to submit a petition to parliament to halt the presentation of proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) instrument (C.I) until the backlog of Ghana Cards, which the National Identification Authority has admitted is cleared. On today’s Order Paper, the petition was listed to be presented by the minority Leader to the house. Its states; “Since proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Instrument (C.1.), as a subsidiary legislation cannot override the substantive provision in the Constitution on the citizens' right to register and to vote, and insistence on the Ghana Card as the only evidence of citizenship will deny millions of citizens the right to register and to vote, other forms of evidence of citizenship such as Ghanaian passport and the guarantor system must be added to the Ghana Card as evidence of citizenship in the proposed Constitutional instrument (C.I.); “Any further action on the proposed C.I. by or in Parliament should be frozen until consultations have been initiated and concluded with the major stakeholders, especially the political parties, including the NDC, and civil society,” the petition added. Last Friday, the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin stated that he is yet to receive a brief on the new constitutional instrument (CI). According to him, should the Electoral Commission fail to meet the leader of the house, then they should forget about the laying the CI before the house. “…I have not been given any brief by the EC on any proposed instrument coming from them. And so I raised this sometime ago, I’m yet to receive them to be briefed on them. Until that is done, they should forget about laying such Instruments in the House,” he said. Few months back, the Electoral commission announced the proposed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2021 Constitutional Instrument which seeks to make Ghana Card the only proof of nationality for its impending limited registration. This comes after the minority raised concerns on the failure of the business committee to program the EC report and the NIA report on Thursday. He said once the meeting with the EC took place some three months ago, there was a need for the Committee to provide a report before the house. NYA/WA