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Voters' Register won't go through second exhibition

Sun, 17 Oct 2004 Source: GNA

Accra, Oct. 17, GNA - Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), on Sunday said there would not be a second exhibition of the Voters' Register before elections are held on December 7. He said the Commission would work judiciously to ratified errors identified during the just ended five-day exhibition of the Provisional Voters' Register (October 12 to 17).

Dr Afari-Gyan told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that, "all hands and resources will be mobilized and work around the crock to ensure that a credible register is produced worthy of acceptance by all stakeholders in Elections 2004."


He said the detection and deletion of undesirable names and the correction of errors from the register were all geared towards making the register credible enough for used.


Dr Afari-Gyan assured political parties that the Commission would consider all grievances and called on them to co-operate with it to ensure efficiency.


He urged the parties and all those who encountered problems during the exhibition to exercise restraint, as the purpose of the exhibition was to identify and correct the errors.


Meanwhile the, National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the Grand Coalition of Peoples National Convention (PNC), the EGLE Party and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) have expressed concern about the numerous errors identified in the provisional register.

In separate interviews with the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Sunday, Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, NDC National Chairman expressed dismayed at the numerous errors and appealed to the EC to ensure that all registered voters exercised their franchised on December 7.


He urged EC to offer those who encountered problems during the exercise another opportunity to verify their details on the register before the polls, saying "they ought to be double sure before Election Day."


Dr Asamoah said there was the need for a final exhibition of the voters' register, to give it the credibility required.


The NDC Chairman said, Ghana after successfully conducting three free and fair elections had assumed the leadership role in Africa with her democratic dispensation and therefore anything that happened in the country was not only of interest to the people but to the international community as well.


Dr Asamoah attributed this to the fact that the EC in the past had performed its task efficiently and urged the Commission to protect this enviable record.

Mr Dan Botwe, NPP General Secretary also urged the Commission to rectify all anomalies before the polls in December.


He said Election 2004 was a test case for the entrenchment of multi-party democracy in the country and also to tell the world that Africa was of age in the practice of democratic governance.


The NPP General Secretary urged the Commission not to offer any party the opportunity to challenge the credibility of the results of the elections based on avoidable errors.


Mr Botwe said the NPP would cooperate with the Commission through the Inter-Party Advisory Committee to ensure free, fair and acceptable elections.


Mr Danny Ofori Atta, Vice Presidential Aspirant of the Grand Coalition expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the Provisional Exhibition and urged the EC the live up to expectation.

Source: GNA