|
EC Denies Report On Proxy Voting |
|
|
By Times Reporter
|
|
Tuesday, 02 December 2008 |
The Electoral Commission yesterday denied reports that all Ghanaian citizens resident abroad were eligible to cast their ballots by proxy in the upcoming polls.
The EC was reacting to a letter signed on behalf of the Head of the Ghana Mission in Switzerland, Ernest Amporful, part of which read:
"Accordingly, all interested and registered Ghanaian voters who would like to exercise their franchise in the upcoming December elections in Ghana, are kindly requested to complete the enclosed form for voting by proxy and return same to the mission for onward transmission to the Electoral Commission in Accra."
The letter fueled speculations that the EC is secretly implementing the Representation of People’s Amendment Law (ROPAL) despite public criticisms.
Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the EC, had earlier confirmed that the EC, due to resource constraints, was not going to implement the ROPAL, the law that allows all Ghanaians abroad to vote.
In an interview with Joy News, the Director of Elections, Albert Kofi Arhin, denied knowledge of the letter but confirmed that forms had been sent to Ghana’s missions abroad for proxy voting.
He said the forms were only meant for workers in the Ghana missions and security personnel on peace missions, as well as students on scholarship.
Mr. Arhin, however, said that the letter was a wake-up call for the EC to check and ascertain the number of people working in the missions and the veracity of the proxy forms received.
At a press conference organised with representatives of the political parties, the EC insisted that proxy forms sent to foreign missions were only meant for workers, as well as security personnel outside the country.
According to Joy correspondent Sammy Darko who was at the press conference, 666 proxy forms were sent to the foreign missions and 141 had been returned so far, 1,000 forms were sent for military personnel, 912 of which had been returned, and another 1,000 sent to the police, none of which had been returned so far. |
