Five opposition political parties in Ghana including the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have today, September 7, filed a suit against the Electoral Commission at the Supreme Court, following the electoral management body’s decision to restrict the upcoming limited voter registration exercise to its district offices.
The five parties are: the NDC, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), All People’s Congress, Liberal Party of Ghana and the Great Consolidated Popular Party.
The parties are of the view that EC’s decision to restrict the centres of voter registration to their district offices has the potential to deprive many eligible voters of their right to be registered as voters and to vote in public elections.
The parties have duly filed an Application for Interlocutory Injunction to restrain the EC from proceeding with the announced limited voter registration exercise pending the final determination of the substantive matter.
[Limited voter registration] We don’t anticipate any challenges – Electoral Commission
This is only the first of a series of actions that the parties intend to take to compel the EC to conduct the impending limited voter registration exercise at the electoral area level, to give all eligible voters access to the process in line with the letter and spirit of Article 42 of the 1992 Constitution, Regulation 2(1)(2) of C.I 91 and the EC’s own time-tested practices.
However, the Plaintiffs have been informed by the Registrar of the Supreme Court that the due date for the Application for Interlocutory Injunction to be moved will be given on Monday upon the expressed instructions of the Chief Justice of the Republic.
In the meantime, the writ has been duly served on the Electoral Commission.
The limited voter registration will be conducted for eligible Ghanaians who turned 18 years after the 2020 registration exercise and other eligible voters from September 12, 2023, to October 2, 2023.
The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, the exercise would be held at all the 268 district offices of the EC across the country.
