The Electoral Commission has directed the opposition NDC to table its proposed electoral reforms before the Interparty Advisory Committee (IPAC) for dialogue.
The Commission said it is open to suggestions and feedback to enhance the country’s electoral process but insists IPAC is the appropriate forum for such suggestions.
The directive comes after the Commission received the NDC’s proposals. The Commission further explained the decision to ask the NDC to table its suggestion before IPAC was arrived at, at a top Management meeting over the suggestions.
However, the EC observed that some of the suggestions captured in the proposal go beyond its mandate.
These include the designation of special courts for electoral disputes and offences before, during and after registration of voters and elections, the splitting of the EC into two separate bodies, namely an Office for the Regulation of Political Parties (ORPP) and an Electoral Commission (EC) which entails amending the Political Parties Act, 2000, Act 574 and the provision of parliamentary approval for the appointment of EC members.
