The Electoral
Commission (EC) has stated that the five political parties which walked out of
a scheduled Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting to discuss the
procurement of a new biometric register are still welcome to engage it on any
issue they want addressed.
They are the National Democratic Congress (NDC),
People’s National Congress (PNC), United Front Party (UFP), Eagle Party (EP) and
the All People’s Party (APC) walked out of the meeting with the EC.
According to the NDC, the Commission deceived
them into the meeting only for them to realise they were there to witness the
demonstration of software for a new biometric register, which they are opposed
to.
But Sylvia Annor, the Acting Director of Public
Affairs at the Commission, said the parties should be able to approach it and
engage them on their views.
“The Electoral Commission believes in dialogue and
acquisition of a new biometric system will enable it to deliver free, fair and
transparent, credible elections, moreover, we operate an open-door policy,
should any political party have issues on any of our projects, they will be
able to come forward and dialogue with us.
“The commission only wants to conduct
better elections with the introduction of the new system, and not that they
have no use for IPAC which is supposed to be an advisory body, that is not to
say that the commission does not recognise the IPAC but the fact remains when
the EC perceives there is a process, it can assist and support the electoral
processes and bring more transparency, accountability and integrity in the
electoral system, we will take it up.
The NDC has on countless times disagreed with
the introduction of the new biometric system and decided to walk out of the
meeting with the Commission and claimed the parties had not discussed the issue
exhaustively enough and raised concerns in previous IPAC meetings.
It recalled an invitation for an emergency IPAC
meeting on November 25 where the issue of new biometric register came up though
it was not on the meeting’s agenda when the parties were asked to bring experts
to discuss procurement for a new register at another emergency meeting on
December 2 and again raised concerns with it but participated in the discussion.
-citinewsroom.com
