EC's Eminent Advisory Committee to meet political parties over new voters register
The Eminent Advisory Committee of the Electoral Commission (EC) and the Commission is to meet with members of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) to deliberate on issues concerning the plan to compile a new voters register which has generated a national debate.
The committee has, therefore, called for calm from all political parties and other stakeholders “as they work in the national interest”.
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A statement signed and issued in Accra on Wednesday by the chairman of the committee, Mr Justice Francis Emile Short, said the decision to meet with the IPAC followed a meeting with the EC on Wednesday.
It said the EC, at the meeting Wednesday, outlined the justification for the procurement of a new Biometric Voter Management System and the compilation of a new voters’ register for the 2020 general election.
The EC’s decision to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 polls has been questioned by some political parties, think tanks and asked the EC to rescind its intention of compiling a new register.
At a press conference on December 31, 2019, the EC justified its decision to obtain a new biometric voting system and compile a new electoral roll for elections in December 2020.
It explained that the move to procure the biometric system is informed by advice from its IT personnel and external IT consultants.
According to the EC, assessment of the system by the two teams had revealed that it would be prudent to acquire a new system rather than refurbish the current one.
The Commission said it would make more economic and operational sense to acquire the new system than to keep the current system and refurbish them at a high cost of frequent replacement of failing parts and renewal of warranties.
