Parliament debates C.I 91 on voters' register amidst confusion
Parliament’s subsidiary legislation "committee was divided on the basis of the guarantee and the number of applicants one person can guarantee"
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The new regulation C.I 91 matured after going through the twenty-one sitting days in Parliament as required by law. It was laid before Parliament on Friday, February 12, 2016.
The new C.I. therefore provides for the grounds for qualifications for registration of every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years and above and of sound mind the right to vote and be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda.
Under the new C.I. 91, a person who applies for registration as a voter shall provide as evidence of identification either;
(a) A passport
(b) A driver’s license
(c) A national identification card or
(d) An existing voter identification card
The National Health Insurance card as a form of identification has been omitted from C.I. 91 following the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Abu Ramadan & Another v. the Electoral Commission.
The Regulation which indicates that a person needs to have one Voters' Registration Identification Guarantee Form, as evidence of identification if that person is unable to produce any of the required forms of identification for registration as captured in C.I. 72 was maintained in the new C.I. 92.
A registered voter shall however, not guarantee the identity of more than five persons and is required to indicate the relationship the guarantor has with the applicant as well as solemnly swear or affirm that the applicant is qualified to register as a voter.
See related: EC sued over bloated voters' register
However, Parliament’s subsidiary legislation "committee was divided on the basis of the guarantee and the number of applicants one person can guarantee," the committee's report has stated.
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