Supreme Court clears EC to proceed with registration, rules out old voter’s ID.

Supreme Court of Ghana has on Thursday, June 25th 2020 given a go ahead to the Electoral Commission in a unanimous decision to proceed with the compilation of the controversial registration.

According to reliable sources, the Court has equally ruled out the use of birth certificates and the existing Voter’s Identification Cards as part of the primary registration documents.

Private citizen Mark Takyi-Banson and the opposition NDC earlier filed a suit at the apex court with demands that, the Court stops the EC from compiling the register or allow the use of birth certificate and existing voters ID card by potential voters as part of primary documents for registration if the exercise will be carried out.

The seven member panel that heard the case dismissed the two charges. The NDC’s general secretary has however claimed earlier that the court ruling was in favour of his party stating that the supreme court orders the EC to include the existing ID card. An assertion many have since been questioning.

SUPREME COURT RULING:

The apex court granted two major reliefs and dismissed two.

Granted reliefs

b. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, specifically article 51 read conjointly with article 42 of the Constitution, the power of the 2nd Defendant to compile and review the voters’ register must be exercised subject to respect for and the protection of the right to vote;

c. A declaration that, upon a true and proper interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, particularly article 42, upon the registration of and issuance of a voter identification card to a person, that person has an accrued right to vote which cannot be divested in an arbitrary and capricious manner;

Dismissed reliefs

d. A declaration that, upon a true and proper interpretation of the provisions of the Constitution, particularly Article 42 of the Constitution, all existing voter identification cards duly issued by the 2nd Defendant to registered voters are valid for purposes of identifying such persons in the exercise of their right to vote;

e. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the Constitution, specifically Article 42, the 2nd Defendant’s purported amendment of Regulation 1 sub-regulation 3 of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2016 (C.I 91) through the Public Elections (Registration of Voters)(Amendment) Regulations, 2020 to exclude existing voter identification cards as proof of identification to enable a person apply for registration as a voter is unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever;