Ghana’s apex court has ruled for the exclusion of the old voter ID card and birth certificate from the new voter register which is set to kick start on Tuesday 30th June 2020 across the country.

In a ruling yesterday 25th June 2020, the court presided over by Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah together with a seven-member panel ruled that the Electoral Commission goes ahead with the new voter register with the exclusion of the old voter ID card and birth certificate. 

The relief three of the suit which talks about the use of the old voters’ ID card for the upcoming voters’ compilation exercise subject to the prevailing C.I 126.

However, the prevailing C.I 126 prevents the use of the existing voters’ card as proof of identity in the compilation of the new register.

The parties involved in the suit were sharply divided over the Court’s direction. The Court upon dismissing some of the reliefs sought by the NDC and Mark Takyi-Banson directed the EC to go ahead with the voter registration exercise as scheduled.

The Court also said the registration should be conducted in line with the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2012, C.I. 91 as amended as the newly passed Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2020 C.I. 126.

This left the parties involved divided over whether the Court upheld the use of the existing voter ID card as proof of identity for the purposes of registration or not, but in the latter part of the proceedings, the court explained its position the case by excluding the old voter register and birth certificate as a proof to register in the upcoming registration exercise.

Meanwhile, Director of legal affairs of the National Democratic Congress Lawyer Abraham Amaliba has stated that there was so much confusion in court yesterday, 25th June 2020 leading to the misinterpretation of the ruling.

By Amos Ekow Coffie | Political Desk | talksafrica.com