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Thousands march in Ghana over electoral registration

Xinhua, April 7, 2016 Adjust font size:

Thousands of Ghanaians on Wednesday hit the streets in Kumasi, some 270 km northwest of the capital city Accra, to protest against the reluctance of the Electoral Commission (EC) to accept proposals for validation of voters ahead of this year's elections.

The protest which was organized by pressure groups Let My Vote Count Alliance and Alliance for Accountable Governance, was heavily attended by members of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who are also demanding same reforms.

The demonstrators, clad in black and white attire, planned to use their protest to compel the EC to embark on a validation of the voters' register before the 2016 polls as recommended by a panel of experts it set up following the presidential petition at the Supreme Court.

They said that they will not rest until the EC obey the rules.

"The EC proposed validation of the register ahead of the elections, but there is no date for validation, so how do we get the register purged of people who are not Ghanaians before the elections?" said Gideo Boako, one of the groups' leaders.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP Benard Antwi Boasiako said the EC appears not serious in what would guarantee free and fair elections.

"We'll not wait for the nation to be plunged into a civil war because of elections. We must avert the looming dangers which the action of the EC is likely to bring," he said.

According to the organizers, the protest will be replicated across the country, until the EC meets their demands. Endit