Stakeholders in the electioneering process have decried the manner the Electoral (EC) Commission conducted the recent voter registration exercise which led to a bloated electoral register.

There were allegations of double registration, registration of foreign nationals and the under-aged as well as people being bussed from their own constituencies and registering at other constituencies.

In certain constituencies and towns, some of the illegal and criminal acts led to violence which ultimately resulted in the loss of precious lives while others were maimed. Some of these condemnable incidents have been attributed to the large turn outs and their attendant unbearable pressures that were brought to bear on the entire exercise.

By endorsing the Fourth Republican Constitution in a referendum 1992, Ghanaians accepted multi-party democracy as the country's system of governance. Thus, elections as part of the country's democratic process have come to stay and all measures should be taken to ensure that they are organized in atmosphere devoid of any acrimony and violence.

Public Agenda is of the view that a continuous year-long voter registration activity could be a solution to the long winding queues that characterized the recent exercise occasioning many of the troubles. The EC could realize this dream by designating points of registration nationwide and registering voters as and when they turn 18 years.

This calls for capacity building both in terms of personnel, equipment and other requisite logistics for the EC. Similarly, adequate resources should be made available to the EC and this must be released timeously.

The political parties also have a both moral and political responsibility to educate their supporters and sympathizers as to the dangers of violating the country's electoral laws and therefore not to engage in such acts. The duty of educating the electorate should not be left with the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) alone.

Public Agenda therefore lauds the initiative being spearheaded by the Civic Forum Initiative to clean the voters' register for a peaceful and credible election in December 2008. We call on all peace-loving Ghanaians to join the initiative for the nation to have a credible register after the cleaning exercise by the EC scheduled for October 5 to October 12.