Ghanaian court rules for overseas citizens to vote in general elections

ACCRA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra ruled here Monday that the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana should allow citizens living abroad to vote in national elections.

High Court Judge Justice Anthony Yeboah upheld arguments by five Ghanaians living outside the country that the EC had infringed their human rights by failing to implement the amended law passed in 2006 to register citizens living abroad for the purpose of voting and allowing them to vote in national elections.

He ordered the EC to ensure that this anomaly was corrected, starting from the 2020 election, and that the Legal Instrument backing election was put in place within 12 months.

The five Ghanaians resident in the USA led by their counsel, Sampson Lardi Ayenini, dragged the EC to court for failing to operationalize the Registration of People's Amendment Act (ROPAA) since its passage in 2006.

The ROPAA was amended in 2006 to allow citizens of Ghana living abroad, including dual citizens, to register and vote in national elections.

The EC had cited financial constraints for its inability to operationalize the law over the last 11 years. Enditem