Source: newsthemegh.com
The Electoral Commission’s plea to remove the use of indelible ink from the voting process in the next elections has been met with resistance by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) members of Parliament.
During the House’s February 6, 2024, reconvening after a lengthy absence from December 23, 2023, the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, declared that the Minority Caucus would not consent to the EC doing away with the usage of indelible ink.
He said, “Mr. Speaker, we will not tolerate the removal of permanent ink from the electoral process.”
We’re not going to! We won’t, read my lips. Touch wood, we won’t,” the statement continued, emphasizing that the use of permanent ink has been shown to be a reliable method of identifying voters in addition to guaranteeing free and fair elections.
“The truth is that the use of indelible ink in our electoral process does not harm the conduct of free and fair elections in Ghana,” he stated clearly. In actuality, indelible ink strengthens election integrity by guaranteeing that, in addition to biometric verification, voters are also physically, publicly, and clearly validated.
“This Electoral Commission enjoys taking unwholesome decisions, being disruptive, fancies courting public disaffection and enjoys being roundly condemned by right-thinking people,” he continued, using the platform to criticize the EC. “The other time, during the limited voter registration exercise, the Electoral Commission decided to restrict first-time voters to register only at the offices of the Electoral Commission,” he continued.
‘Indelligible ink has become a feature of our elections in the Fourth Republic,’ the Minority Leader continued, ‘and it is also a tried-and-true way of quickly identifying individuals who have already cast their ballot, thereby helping to avoid multiple voting’.