The Electoral Commission (EC) has confirmed its intention to proceed with the Limited Voters Registration Exercise on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, despite facing an injunction application from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and four other political parties.
This announcement was made through a statement released by the EC on Monday, September 11.
The EC emphasized in its statement that the registration will occur at all of its 268 District Offices. The statement outlined the registration period, which will start on September 12, 2023, and conclude on October 2, 2023.
Eligible individuals, including those who have turned 18 since the last registration exercise and those who missed registering in 2020, are required to visit their District Office with either their Ghana Card or Ghana Passport. Those without these identification documents must present two registered voters to vouch for their registration.
Five political parties, namely the NDC, Convention People’s Party (CPP), All People’s Congress, Liberal Party of Ghana, and Great Consolidated Popular Party, filed a lawsuit on September 7, challenging the EC’s decision to limit the upcoming voter registration exercise to its district offices.
They argue that this decision could disenfranchise many eligible voters, particularly those in remote areas. While the Supreme Court was expected to schedule a hearing for the application shortly after it was filed, it has not done so yet.
Former President John Dramani Mahama expressed frustration over the delay in the Supreme Court scheduling a hearing for the injunction application filed by the NDC and other parties against the EC regarding the limited voter registration exercise.
In a Facebook post, Mahama noted that the Registrar of the Supreme Court had not provided a date for the application’s hearing, despite the customary practice of scheduling such dates promptly.
He explained that the writ and injunction application were filed with the Supreme Court’s Registry on September 7, 2023, and that the applicants’ representatives were awaiting a date to be assigned by the Chief Justice, who was temporarily out of the country. As of his statement, the applicants’ representatives were still waiting at the Supreme Court’s registry.
