The Minister for Communications, Haruna Iddrisu, announcing government’s intention to support the EC, said the exercise could cost over $80 million.
“Though the cost might be a little high, it is not more than the cost of disputed elections, and addresses the issue of multiple voting to make our elections more credible”, the Minister said in an interview after opening a two day conference for IT professionals in Accra.
Since Ghana’s return to constitutional rule in 1993, the country has faced challenges such as bloated electoral register, impersonation of voters, stuffing and stealing of ballot boxes, dub ballot papers, among others.
In some instances, these problems have resulted in violence and intimidation of voters, while prospective voters have been disenfranchised because they are not able to move to regions at the specific times that the EC undertakes its registration exercise.
Supporting the biometric voter registration and e-voting proposal, Mr. Iddrisu said government was committed to enhancing the integrity of elections in Ghana.
Since the EC announced its decision to use biometric technology early January 2011, many Ghanaians, especially politicians, have hailed the initiative, stating that the introduction of electronic voting in Ghana was both feasible and desirable.
Others have noted that though a biometric voters’ register could resolve the illegal practice of multiple registrations, it would not solve entirely the problems regarding multiple voting and the anticipated absence of an electronic biometric data identification/verification system for individual voters at the polling stations on voting day.
With the biometric voters’ register, it is also expected that Ghana’s electoral system will be less costly, free from errors, delays and fraud that frequently undermine the credibility of results.
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Quelle/Source: Peace FM Online, 09.04.2011
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