Dr Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), has affirmed that the Commission has made no decision on Ghanaians stranded abroad as it readies to compile a new voters’ register.

According to him, the commission would have to take a decision on such persons at a later date should they be unable to come down to register during the 38-day mass registration which begins on June 30.

As part of measures to stop the importation of the COVID-19, President Nana Akufo-Addo shut the country’s borders since March although the government was readying to evacuate Ghanaians stuck abroad and there is no certain date of their return.

Dr Quaicoe explained that as the borders remained closed, it was impossible for the EC to also go abroad to register such persons, ruled out transfer of votes in the upcoming general elections, to transfer ones vote, one must have registered 12 months prior to the transfer and with less than six months to the election, nobody would qualify to transfer their votes with six months of registering.

“Despite the structured period being used for the registration, we will spend more time at a location should natural activities like rain mar the registration since there will be a mopping up exercise across the country as well and with the compilation of a new voters’ register in the offing, the electorate will be expected to register at where they reside or will be voting in December,” he assured.  

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its judgment on June 23 on whether or not the old voters’ ID, which the EC has described as a fruit of a poisonous tree, should be accepted as proof of identity for the compilation of a new voters’ register. -myjoyonline.com