Disclose the electoral calendar for this year’s election – Omane Boamah tells EC

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed concern about the Electoral Commission's delay in disclosing the Electoral Calendar, with only about 298 days remaining until the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. He urged the Commission to promptly release the calendar.

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, the Director of Elections and IT for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed concern about the Electoral Commission’s delay in disclosing the Electoral Calendar, with only about 298 days remaining until the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. He urged the Commission to promptly release the calendar.

In a post on his X platform, the former Minister of Communications highlighted the absence of the Electoral Calendar despite the nearing elections.

In related remarks regarding this year’s elections, NDC’s flagbearer John Dramani Mahama stated that the party would oppose any insistence by the Commission to exclusively use the Ghana Card as the identification document for registration onto the electoral roll for the 2024 general elections. He made these remarks during a meeting with the Volta Region caucus of the NDC in Ho over the weekend.

Mr. Mahama emphasized, “The NDC will offer the stiffest opposition to the Electoral Commission if it insists on the Ghana card as the sole form of identity in the registration of eligible voters.”

The Electoral Commission asserts that utilizing Ghana Cards for registration is crucial to eliminate long-standing issues of minors and foreigners on the voter register. Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services, stated at a roundtable discussion hosted by the Department of Political Science of the College of Humanities of the University of Ghana, Legon, in June last year that the Commission is convinced that using Ghana Cards will significantly reduce the number of minors and foreigners on the register.

Dr. Quaicoe expressed satisfaction with the Commission’s progress in addressing issues of impersonation, multiple registration, and multiple voting. However, he highlighted the challenges of registering minors and foreigners, often influenced by political parties who later accuse the EC of allowing such infiltrations.

“The Electoral Commission believes that one way to address these issues is to utilize the Ghana Card,” Dr. Quaicoe emphasized. “There have been ongoing debates, but we are steadfast in our stance that using the Ghana Card will help address the registration of minors and foreigners.”