The Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, has allayed the fears of Ghanaians and said the country's electoral structures are so robust that the implementation of the Representation of the People Amendment Act (ROPAA) will not be an issue.
He acknowledged that although every new system had its own teething problems, the level of commitment currently being exhibited by the EC would enable it to surmount challenges that might come with the ROPAA implementation.
Addressing stakeholders in Bolgatanga on Thursday to collate views on the implementation of the ROPAA, Dr Asare intimated that the EC was currently going round the country to ensure that a lot of consultations were done to enhance the implementation of the ROPAA.
Implementing ROPAA
He explained that there was no way the EC would relax in implementing the ROPAA because that would amount to contempt of court and a disregard for the law.
According to him, the EC was expected to start implementing the ROPAA within this year in accordance with a court ruling.
A member of the subcommittee on ROPAA representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, observed that all political parties needed to trust in the structures and that when it came to choosing people from the various embassies to lead a certain process along the line, all the parties must be able to support those people else the ROPAA agenda could not move forward.
Dr Kunbuor, who is also the Member of Parliament for Nandom, further intimated that issues of suspicion among political parties, especially the New Patriotic Party(NPP) and the NDC, must be avoided.
Source: Graphic.com
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IT IS NOT A FIRST TIME CITIZENS OF A COUNTRY IN ABROAD WOULD VOTE. WE HAVE MANY COUNTRIES FROM EVERY CONTINENT WHO ARRANGE FOR THEIR CITIZENS TO VOTE. SOME OF SUCH COUNTRIES ARE VERY SIMILAR TO GHANA IN MANY RESPECTS. WE SHOULD LEARN FROM THEM. EVEN THOUGH GHANA DOES NOT HAVE EMBASSIES IN ALL UNITED NATION RECOGNIZED COUNTRIES, EVERY SUCH COUNTRIES OUTSIDE GHANA IS CONNECTED TO SOME GHANAIAN EMBASSIES. E.G IN 2000s MY PASSPORT EXPIRED WHILE IN PHILIPPINES WHERE THERE WAS NO GHANA EMBASSY I DID NOT COME TO GHANA TO RENEW IT. IT WAS DONE FOR ME IN CHINA. SO EVERY COUNTRY OUTSIDE GHANA IS UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF A PARTICULAR GHANA EMBASSY. SUCH EMBASSIES WOULD BECOME IN CHARGE OF CITIZENS WHO BECOME INTERESTED TO VOTE. IT WOULD NOT BE EASY FOR EVERYBODY WITHOUT A COST. SOME WOULD HAVE TO TRAVELLED SOME GOOD DISTANCE TO ATTAIN THAT FEAT. EVEN BACK HOME, IN GHANA, ACCESS TO POLLING STATION IS NOT THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY. SOME WALK FOR LESS THAN 5 MINS TO GET TO THEIR POLLING STATIONS. OTHERS HAVE TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCE AND OTHERS USE FERRIES TO GO OVER LAKES AND RIVERS TO GET TO THEIR POLLING STATIONS. IT TAKES A WHOLE DAY FOR SOME TO TRAVEL IN AND OUT TO GET TO POLLING STATIONS AND VOTE. THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION SHOULD HAVE TO MAP OUT THE ARRANGEMENTS FOR EVERY CITIZENS TO MEET THEIR OWN CHALLENGES. AFTER ALL IS NOT EVERYBODY IN GHANA WHO WOULD VOTE EVEN IF THE POLLING STATIONS IS SITED IN THEIR HOUSE.