Parliament has given the green light to The Electoral Commission to accept only Ghana Card or Passport as evidence of citizenship as captured in The Constitutional Instrument (C.I) 126.
This follows an adoption of the report of The Committee on Subsidiary Legislation on the public elections (Registration of voters) (amendment) regulations, 2020 (C. I. 126) which was laid in Parliament on Tuesday, 31st Mach, 2020 in accordance with Article 11(7) of the Constitution. Pursuant to Orders 77 and 166 of the Standing Orders of Parliament
The Constitutional Instrument (C.I.) 126, seeks to give legal backing to the plans by The Commission to conduct a new registration of voters.
The report which generated heated debate wanted a citizen of Ghana who intends to register as a voter, would have to prove his or her citizenship by providing either a passport, National Identification card aka Ghana Card or fill a Voter registration identification guarantee form.
The Minority Leader Harruna Iddrisu, was of the view that, the public elections ( regulation of voters) ( Amendment) Regulations, 2020, ( C.I. 126) which seeks to amend regulation 1(3) of C.I 91 by excluding of drivers licence as a requirement for the registration of voter will disenfranchised many Ghanaians.
But The Leader of Government Business who also doubles as The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu ,drew his attention to the fact that “in spite of the argument that , the birth certificate is a source document for establishing citizenship, has not been used in any of the C.I. on the registration of voters, which is C.I 12, C.I. 72 and C.I. 91”.
By the provisions of Article 51 of the Constitution, the Electoral Commission is mandated to make regulations for the effective performance of its functions, and in particular, for the registration of voters, the conduct of public elections and referenda, including provision for voting by proxy.
Pursuant to the afore-mentioned constitutional provisions and Section 2 of the Electoral Commission Act, 1993 (Act 451), the Electoral Commission has been responsible for the conduct of all public elections and referenda in the Country.
ln preparation towards the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections, the Electoral Commission intends to register voters for the elections, hence, the introduction into Parliament of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) (Amendment) Regulations, 2020 (C.l.126) to enable the Commission obtain the legal framework for this exercise.
