With less than seven days to the planned compilation of a new voters’ register for the 2020 General Elections, it does not appear the Electoral Commission is out of the woods yet, with suits questioning its power to compile a new electoral roll.
The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Norgbey has filed an application at the High Court seeking to perpetually restrain the Electoral Commission from compiling a fresh or new voters’ register for the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections until it is authorized by a valid law so to do.
The lawmaker wants the High Court to declare that the election management body has no mandate under the Public Election (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2020 (CI 126) as amended and that the existing voters’ register is the only valid and lawful register for the conduct of public elections until revoked by a law validly made or passed.
The Court is expected to hear the case on Monday, June 29, 2020.
This is the 3rd suit against the EC on the question of voter identity following one brought by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and another by a private citizen Mark-Takyi Banson; both of which have been consolidated by the Supreme Court and expected to be today (Wednesday, June 24, 2020).
Meanwhile, the Ashaiman MP, Ernest Norgbey will also be asking the High on Monday, June 29, 2020, to place an interim injunction on the voter registration exercise.
The exercise which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, is to enable the Electoral Commission to compile a new voters’ register for the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, but the MP wants it temporarily put on hold pending the determination of his application for judicial review.
Source: citinewsroom
