Stop transporting minors, foreigners to registration centres – EC warns political parties

The Electoral Commission (EC) has issued a warning to all political parties to discourage their regional and constituency executives from transporting minors and foreigners to the registration centres.

The EC issued this warning when addressing journalists in Accra on Monday, May 13,2024.

The Deputy Electoral Commissioner Dr. Bossman Asare highlighted the role of political parties in maintaining a credible register and condemned attempts by parties to support the registration of minors and foreigners, indicating that such actions compromise the country’s electoral democracy.

He said, “We continue to receive reports that minors and non-Ghanaians are being encouraged by certain persons who are members of political parties to register as voters. The Commission has seen a report from the Western Region specifically in Mpohor where some two persons who allegedly facilitated the registration of five minors have been apprehended by the Police. We wish to use this opportunity to urge parents especially to dissuade their children who are less than 18 years old from registering as voters.”

“Similarly, we beseech the national leadership of the political parties to discourage their executives in the regions and the constituencies from transporting minors and foreigners to the registration centres. The objective of the Commission as always has been to have a credible register for the 2024 elections,” he said.

According to the Deputy EC, “We believe the political parties, as the main stakeholders in the general elections, must be dedicated to supporting a credible register as well. Consequently, we find attempts by parties to support the registration of minors and foreigners completely unacceptable and aimed at undermining the country’s electoral democracy.”

Consequently, Dr. Bossman Asare called on the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to enforce the laws on individuals who have been apprehended to serve as a deterrent to others.

“We urge the Police to apply the laws on those who have been apprehended to serve as a deterrent to others in the enterprise of facilitating the registration of minors and foreigners. We want to urge the children who are not 18 years old that it is against the law for them to register as voters,” he concluded.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme