A third demonstration against new voters register has hit the Ghanaian capital Accra on Tuesday painting some of the streets in the capital red.
Several members of the Inter-Party Resistance against the New Voter Register, embark on their third demonstration with most of the protesters clad in red attire.
The group has been protesting to relay their displeasure about the EC’s decision to compile a new voters’ register ahead of December 2020 general election.
Wearing red t-shirts, head and hand bands, with placards with various inscriptions including, “pay striking teachers, and don’t waste money on needless register”,“ No new register” etc. hundreds of members joined in the street protest..
The protests began in Tamale and continued in Kumasi and now in Accra sending signal to the Electoral Commission (EC) that they are serious with their demand.
This follows the EC’s announcement of the date for compilation of the new voters’ register despite a planned meeting with the EC’s Eminent Advisory Committee.
The parties opposed to the new compilation say they remained unconvinced by the EC’s argument for a new register because there was no proof that the current register is not credible.
The Inter-Party Resistance against the New Voter Register has presented a petition to the Jubilee House as they demonstrated through some streets of Accra today.
The petition to the presidency would mean that the current and former presidents of the of Ghana have been informed of their reasons to protest the decision by the EC to compile a new register. The Chairman of the People’s National Convention (Bernard Mornah, a leader of Inter-Party Resistance against New Voters Register had already petitioned former president Jerry John Rawlings on the issue.
The demonstration comes in the wake of announcement by the commission that the new registration exercise will begin April 18 and that the register would be ready in November.
A meeting between the parties and the eminent advisory committee ended inconclusively. The EC however in a statement said the majority of stakeholders who attended the meeting agreed to a new register, a claim which has been rebuffed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Meanwhile, the United States embassy in Ghana has warned its citizens in the country to be cautious as the demonstration could be volatile.
DAP/abj/APA