Limited Voter Registration: I’ll give EC benefit of the doubt – Saaka Salia

A member of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Communication Team, Saaka Salia, has observed that the Electoral Commission (EC) has done nothing untoward in the management of the ongoing limited voter registration exercise.

He wondered whether political parties’ scathing attacks on the EC would contribute to the success of the party at elections.

The election management body has come under criticism for a lack of adequate preparations for this year’s limited voter registration exercise.

Despite several assurances from the Commission on its readiness to register over 620,000 first-time voters, the first two days were marred with technical challenges.

The Commission in a statement on Tuesday, May 7, noted that “following our monitoring of the Voters Registration Exercise this morning, we observed some technical challenges with internet connectivity in a number of our Centres.”

Against this background, the Commission, in a statement on Wednesday, directed all its District Officers to switch to offline mode on May 9 to fast-track the registration process.

Also, the EC assured stakeholders that should there be a backlog of voters at the end of the 21-day process, the registration exercise will be extended beyond the May 27, 2024, deadline.

Limited Voter Registration: EC admits technical challenges on Day 1; assures smooth exercise

Mr. Salia, speaking on The Big Issue segment on TV3 New Day on Friday, May 10, took a swipe at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), claiming that the NDC has been exaggerating the challenges that have fraught the registration exercise so far.

“Almost all political parties have come out with their grievances as to the registration exercise that is ongoing. The NPP through Evans Nimako, Director of Elections, has registered his disquiet about the situation. And the NDC as usual had even started lambasting the electoral commission even before the problems ensued.

“It is not as if the NPP is okay with whatever that is happening. We are equally disturbed by these technical hitches,” he said.

Responding to concerns that the EC has assured stakeholders through news conferences on its preparedness to conduct the exercise, the NPP communicator said, “We in Ghana and especially political parties, are fond of exaggerating and trying to create some name for the electoral commission.”

More on the limited voter registration

• NDC, NPP agents record serial numbers of BVRs on the blind side of EC officials
• Limited Voter Registration: Extend duration on university campuses – Dumelo urges EC

Criticising the NDC, he added, “As if we take the electoral commission to the cleaners, it will inure to something positive to the political parties.”

“The electoral commission is using 21 days to do the registration, the first day they encountered problems and they have taken a cue from that and they ensure that going forward they are going to do the right thing.

“What the electoral commission can do is to put in place plan B so that when the internet is not working…that is where this offline registration comes in handy and I think that they are equally doing whatever it takes to ensure that the registration is done. I will always give the electoral commission the benefit of the doubt,” he noted.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission is seeking to register about 623,000 first-time voters onto the electoral roll in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise across the country ahead of the December 7 national elections.

The 21-day exercise, which commenced on Tuesday, May 7, in all 258 district offices of the Commission, is expected to end on Monday, May 27, 2024.

The post Limited Voter Registration: I’ll give EC benefit of the doubt – Saaka Salia first appeared on 3News.

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