20 August 2008
editorial
The chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan is reported to have apologised to all those who could not register during the recent limited voter registration exercise. His decision was apparently borne out of the way his outfit was criticized by the political parties and sections of the population.
The Chronicle applauds Dr. Afari Gyan for making the public apology since it would help to ease the tension that surrounded the registration exercise. The Chronicle, however, thinks the EC and Afari Gyan cannot be held wholly responsible for the failure of the potential voters to register. The EC has repeatedly made it clear to Ghanaians that it provided logistics to support a projected figure of between 500,000 and one million new voters.
The projection was based on the 2000 population and housing census and population growth projections, which was based on figures from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). But at the end of the exercise by the EC, over two million people have been registered. The original budget for the entire election is over GH¢ 42.6million, of which about GH ¢6.9million was allocated for the limited registration. The EC is, however, still doubtful about the eligibility of the excess numbers which went beyond the projected one million new voters.
In determining the population growth and projections for the registration exercise, the EC can not be faulted for using the demographic figures of the Ghana Statistical Service, which has the statutory responsibility for conducting population census in the country. One cannot therefore argue that the figures that were supplied to the EC by the Statistical Service were wrong. The Chronicle would like to agree with the EC's view that an unexpected number of newly registered voters might have entered the Voters Register during the just ended exercise.
It was therefore very disheartening when the political parties and sections of the Ghanaian populace descended on the EC and alleged that they had disenfranchised some potential voters. We consider this allegation as just giving the EC a bad name in order to hang it. We support the argument made by the EC that minors and those who have registered already in the past but have lost their voter ID cards registered again, which went a long way to bloat the numbers. There is also the possibility that those who are a few months to attaining 18years, might also have rushed to register.
With the NPP and NDC having had two terms each, and with the emerging threat being posed by the CPP, this year's elections will be keenly contested. Therefore, we must be careful not to undermine the capability of the EC, which is the referee in the game. As an institution being manned by human beings, the EC can definitely make mistakes but it would be wrong to come out with criticisms against them without any sound scientific basis. To us at The Chronicle, the EC did not err in the recent registration to merit the kind of insults that they got from the political parties.
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