IPAC meeting hits rocks, IPRAN to occupy EC Tuesday

The meeting between the Electoral Commission, its Eminent Advisory Committee and the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) over the election management body’s decision to compile a new voter roll, ended in a deadlock on Thursday, 30 January 2020.

While the EC reiterated its manifold reasons to justify its decision to compile a new register, the biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and other parties which comprise the Inter-Party Resistance Against a New Register of Voters (IPRAN) was also stuck in their opposition to the move.

The meeting was called at the instance of the Eminent Advisory Committee following agitations by those opposed to the compilation of a new register.

The uncompromising positions of the two sides of the debate at Thursday’s meeting meant that no progress was made.

Already, the EC has announced that it would start the registration exercise on 18 April 2020.

Those opposed to the idea have accused the EC of bad faith and railroading the process without proper consultation with the political parties who are major stakeholders in the electoral process.

While the EC’s opposers say the exercise would be a wasteful one of state resourced, the election management body insists without a new register and a new biometric election management system, the December 2020 polls would be imperilled.

As a result of the stalemate, IPRAN says it would proceed with its decision to occupy the EC on Tuesday, 4 February 2020.