With only six days remaining before the 2024 Exhibition of the Provisional Voter Register (PVR), political parties have yet to receive the register.
We believe the Electoral Commission’s (EC) delay is either due to incompetence or a deliberate attempt to provide a sub-standard PVR, making it challenging for parties to thoroughly review the register before the exhibition begins next week.
On July 18, 2024, the EC requested that the NDC provide an external drive (2 terabytes) for loading the PVR. We complied by submitting the drive and also requested all 16 regional register code books. However, the EC has not fulfilled its obligation under CI 91, as amended by CI 126, for over two weeks.
Surprisingly, on August 8, 2024, the EC notified us that the PVR would be released on August 14, 2024—just six days before the exhibition starts on August 20, 2024. This timeline is grossly inadequate.
To exacerbate the situation, we have been informed that we will not receive the PVR until Friday, August 16, 2024. This leaves us with only six days to distribute the register to over 38,000 polling stations across Ghana for pre-exhibition scrutiny.
We are aware of the EC’s dysfunctional IT department and had previously requested the UNDP’s assistance through IPAC. Despite this, the EC has failed to follow up with the UNDP for technical support, and errors persist.
The EC’s incompetence and apparent disregard for efficient electoral processes risk plunging Ghana into chaos. This is reminiscent of the issues during the 2023 District Assembly Elections, the network failures during the Limited Registration Exercise, and other recent problems.
There are also concerns about the missing Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits, stolen from the EC headquarters under CCTV surveillance. We question whether these stolen kits have been used to introduce illegally registered voters onto the list.
The integrity of our electoral system must be maintained regardless of who is in power. We urge civil society organizations, religious bodies, and diplomatic missions to scrutinize the current EC’s activities. Despite verbal assurances, the Commission has not demonstrated a commitment to delivering credible elections on December 7, 2024.
The EC must release the Provisional Voter Register immediately!
By: Dr. Omane Boamah
