EC, Advisory Committee, IPAC meeting ends in stalemate

By
Iddi Yire/Yaw Ansah, GNA

Accra, Jan 30, GNA –
A meeting held by the Electoral Commission (EC) with the Advisory Committee of
Eminent Persons and the Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) to find common
ground on the upcoming compilation of a new voters roll has ended in a stalemate.

The biggest
opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some smaller
political parties are fiercely opposed to the decision by the election
management board – the EC, to conduct this year’s general election with a new
voters register.

The Advisory
Committee has therefore called the meeting to help the key stakeholders to
agree on the forward but those for and against a new register appear to have
stuck to their hardline positions.

In attendance, were
the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Jean Mensa, representatives of some political
parties including the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), NDC, Convention
People’s Party (CPP), People’s National Convention (PNC), Ghana Freedom Party
(GFP), All People’s Congress (APC), Democratic People’s Party (DPP), the
Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). 

Mr. Justice Emile
Short, Chairman of the Advisory Committee, told the media that the Committee
would be issuing a communique on the outcome as well as its advice to the EC.

Mr. Johnson Asiedu
Nketia, the General Secretary of the NDC, told journalists that he found it
unfortunate that the CSO’s were denied the opportunity to make presentations at
the closed door meeting.

He said those CSOs
had been key players in the nation’s democratic governance and for that matter
it was vital to have heard their position.

According to him,
the Advisory Committee of Eminent Persons, after listening to the presentations
by all sides said that they believed each side had made very reasonable contributions
and so they were going to formulate their advice and present it to the EC.

Mr Yaw Buabeng
Asamoah, the Director of Communications, NPP, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA)
that nine political parties present at the meeting, including the ruling party,
said they backed the EC’s decision, while the NDC and four others, said they
were not in favour.

Two other parties,
however, did not have any position on the new register.

Mr. Osei Bonsu
Amoah, a leading Member of the NPP and Deputy Minister of Local Government and
Rural Development, said the EC was an independent creature of the Constitution,
and could go ahead with its decisions if funding had been provided.

Hajia Hamdatu
Ibrahim, Acting, National Chairperson of the CPP, said her party was taking a
neutral stand on the issue.

GNA