Minority to resist any attempts by EC to cancel use of indelible ink in 2024 elections
The Minority in Parliament will resist any attempts by the Electoral Commission (EC) to cancel the use of indelible ink during the 2024 polls, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Fordon, the Minority Leader, said on Tuesday.
In his welcome address in Parliament, Dr Forson said: “Mr Speaker, we will not countenance the elimination of indelible ink from the electoral process. We will not! Read my lips, we will not! Touch wood, we will not.”
He explained that the use of indelible ink during elections had been proven to be time-tested for identifying persons who had cast their ballots, adding that it would be wrong on the EC’s part to eliminate it.
The EC is alleged to have announced plans to scrap the ink, traditionally applied to voters’ fingers to prevent multiple voting, in replacement of a more “modern” verification method.
It is reported that Madam Jean Mensa, the Chairperson of the EC, announced that in the district-level election and subsequent polls, there would be no need for indelible ink as part of efforts to improve the electoral process.
Subsequently, the National Democratic Congress and other stakeholders have kicked against this decision.
Dr Forson told Parliament that the Indelible ink had not only become a feature of Ghana’s elections in the Fourth Republic, but also a time-tested method for easy identification of persons who had already voted, therefore, helping to prevent multiple voting.
“Mr Speaker, the truth of the matter is that the use of indelible ink in our electoral process does not harm the conduct of free and fair elections in Ghana. Indelible ink adds another layer to the integrity of elections by ensuring that voters are visibly, transparently, and physically verified in addition to biometric verification,” he said.
The Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana took office on January 7, 2021.
Parliament reconvened on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, after the Christmas recess to begin the final year of its four-year tenure.
Source: GNA