Only 476 out of 13,000 prisoners in Ghana register to vote – EC

Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Electoral Commissioner, on Thursday said out of the country’s prison population of 13,231, only 476 registered as voters.

He said the two-day mop-up registration exercise at 186 centres within the eight regions of the country, after the major national registration exercise, recorded 16,487 additional voters.

Dr Afari-Gyan, was speaking at a forum on the theme: “The Key Challenges of Election 2012 and the Electoral Commission’s Strategies for Addressing these Challenges,” in Accra.

It was organised by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to strengthen confidence in the electoral system, promote fair media coverage of the electoral process and help enhance transparency and credibility of Election 2012.

“We are in the region of 13,000,000 plus in terms of those who have registered, but this must be regarded as a provisional figure for a number of reasons.”

The Electoral Commissioner explained that some Ghanaians currently abroad were eligible but are yet to be registered, such as security personnel on peace-keeping duties, and people who had their registrations challenged.

He said a person on the provisional voters register could still be objected to during the exhibition of the register and the name taken off if the objection was upheld.

Source: GNA