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The Committee for the Implementation of the Law on the Representation of the People (Amendment) (ROPAL) has identified three key actions for successful deployment.
These are public forums in all regions that solicit contributions for the implementation of the law, extension of consultations to Ghanaians living in the diaspora, and visits to four countries currently implementing external voting.
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The selected countries are the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Mali and South Africa.
At the first meeting of the committee, set up by the President of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa, yesterday, the members also agreed to publish a public notice asking members of the public to submit their comments in writing. view of the proper implementation of the system. the law.
The committee, chaired by EC Vice-President for Administration Eric Bossman Asare, announced that he would announce the dates of the forums with various stakeholders from all regions in order to request contributions from all Ghanaians for the implementation of the project. according to the decision of the High Court of 2017.
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Context
The committee secretary, Christian Owusu Parry, explained that the ROPAL law was already a law that the EC was responsible for implementing. She added that the law had been pbaded in 2006, but that little had been done between 2008 and 2011..
He said that a previous committee set up to make recommendations on the way forward for the EC presented its report in September 2011.
Since then, he said, nothing had been done until injured parties went to court to compel the EC to enforce the law.
Following the court's decision on the enforcement of the law, Ms. Mensa set up another committee to study what had been done and to take into account the changes in the country's electoral system since then. in order to have a current and up-to-date way forward.
Presentation of the report
Mr Parry said the committee should present its report by the end of June this year.
At the meeting yesterday, however, committee members expressed concern about the deadline for the submission of a report, given the extensive consultations with stakeholders, both at the meeting and at the meeting. Ghana and abroad, as well as visits to four countries practicing similar practices. external vote.
In addition, the court's decision provided for a 20-month period, which expired last month, to allow the EC to define a roadmap for the implementation of ROPAL.
In the opposite case, the High Court asked the EC to make a public statement about its inability to meet this deadline and to announce a new deadline.
Public Announcement
Accordingly, the Committee was of the view that steps would be taken to make a public announcement to this effect as the Committee makes the necessary efforts to comply with the other directions set out in the High Court decision.
This view was particularly voiced by the President of the Civic Initiative Forum, Major-General Nii Carl Coleman (retired).
Some issues close to the practicalities of implementing the law were discussed at the meeting. Among them was how to get Ghanaians into the elections, because it was obvious that Ghanaians could be found almost anywhere in the world, which was a problem given their financial implications.
It also appeared that the decision of the High Court had been unduly harsh on the EC. For example, in the case of electoral fraud incidents taking place in countries where ROPAL would be implemented, the issue of jurisdiction over arrest and prosecution of such persons could constitute a major challenge .
Conditions of registration
With respect to the requirements for a person living abroad to be registered, one of the conditions set out in the ROPAL was that these persons had to provide another form of identity, in addition to a valid residence permit in this country.
But the representative of the main parties of the committee, the leader and founder of the Liberal Party of Ghana (GPL), Mr. Percival Kofi Akpaloo, was of the opinion that this requirement should be removed because there were a good number of Ghanaians. living as illegal immigrants in foreign countries but whose regular remittances to Ghana have contributed substantially to the national economy and so can not be ignored because of the lack of A valid residence permit.
The meeting then came to a consensus that eligible voters should have a valid Ghanaian pbadport and a Ghana card, stressing that both should be sufficient.
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