We begin the day's newspaper review with a report from the Daily Graphic that says 'Phase three of biometric registration 10.5 million register so far'. The Electoral Commission (EC) reports that it has registered 10.5 million prospective voters at the end of the third phase of the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise. With this provisional figure, the EC says it is on course to achieve a successful biometric voters' registration, which ends on May 5, 2012. The same paper, in a separate voter registration news informs readers that a Farmer has been convicted for double registration at Sefwi Fawokabra, near Akontonbra in the Sefwi-Akontonbra District in the Western Region. The Convict, Tahiru Issifu, pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to a fine of 250 penalty units amounting to GHc 3,000 in default; he will spend the next 18 months in jail.
The New Statesman tells us that the Coalition for the Development of Ghanaians (CODGHA) on Wednesday appealed to the Electoral Commission (EC) to reconsider its decision of not extending the Biometric Registration exercise. "We believe that the process should be extended by at least a minimum of five days in constituencies that frequently experienced breakdown of biometric kit", the paper quotes using the headline CODGHA calls for extension of biometric registration exercise
On extension of the voter registration exercise, the Crusading Guide's headline EC may extend registration exercise if… brings to our notice that the Electoral Commission has revealed that people who were not able to register in the ongoing biometric registration exercise due to broken down equipment will be given a lifeline to register after the closure of the exercise. The EC's Acting Director of Public Affairs, Christian Owusu Parry disclosed this in an interview with Joy FM on Thursday.
As the third phase of the voter registration exercise has ended, the Crusading Guide makes it known that there are Mal-functioning biometric registration machines in Tema. Mr. Gabriel Manu, the Tema Metropolitan Electoral Officer, has disclosed that out of the 80 biometric registration machines given to the Tema metropolis, 9 of them were not functioning during this phase and those machines have been sent back to the Greater Accra Regional Office of the Electoral Commission for replacement.
More news on the biometric registration as EC sets up committee to deal with registration challenges. The Electoral Commission has said that structures will be put in place after the biometric registration exercise to make provision for citizens who never had the chance to register. The New Statesman reports the Acting Director of Public Affairs of EC, Christian Owusu Parry as saying.
We are informed in the Daily Graphic that Vice-Prez cautions minors not to register. The Vice President, Mr. John Dramani Mahama has warned youth under 18 years against registering in the on-going biometric voters registration exercise. He said false registration would affect their future chances of seeking employment and other opportunities since their ages on the data system captured by the biometric voter's registration would conflict with their real ages.
Finally on the biometric registration, the Public Agenda indicates that CODECO criticizes EC officials on identify check of registrants. The coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has noted that a lot of the laid-down procedures in the registration exercise including identity check of registration were not adhered to in some registration centres. Some of the laid-down procedures that were not heeded to include unauthorized persons not interfering with the exercise; the challenge procedure and equipment set up on time. On identity check, (CODEO) noted that the criteria for eligibility were not strictly. adhered to. Identification documents or guarantors were not demanded at some polling centres in the rural areas and in communities in the urban areas where residents appeared to know one another.
Ghanaians have been urged to 'Reject politicians who use intemperate language'. The University of Ghana Students Representative Council (SRC) has called on electorates to vote against political leaders who galvanize people to perpetrate violence. "If such leaders truly love and care for the people, they would seek peace first and not their personal political advantage", the Ghanaian Times quotes Mr. Daniel Thiombiano Lompo, the SRC president. The Daily Graphic also carried this news under the headline 'Vote against politicians who seek violence'.
Also on the front page of The Heritage, Ghanaians have been urged to reject anybody or group of persons who preach hatred and incite one ethnic group or against another as the nation prepares for the up-coming December genera l election. The paper under its banner, Reject Hate Mongers, and has the Forum for Governance and Justice (FGJ) stating that one of the key elements of development is peace and therefore it is the duty of every individual to safeguard the peace the country is enjoying.
The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has charged Ghanaians not to follow politicians blindly since they will not remember them after the December 7 elections. The Okyenhene was speaking at the launch of the Ghana Peace Campaign 2012, an initiative aimed at promoting peace before, during and after the 2012 Elections. The Daily Graphic captured this news in the headline "Don't follow politicians blindly".
The Ghanaian Times in a related development states that Gender advocates condemn political hate speech. Gender Advocates from the Upper West Region have condemned the flagrant use of hate speech which has characterized the political environment, as the nation prepares towards the sixth general election in December. "We are worried as mothers and women about the increasing cases of violence and hate speeches, which are gradually gaining momentum in our national politics.
In spite of all the concerns raised on hate speeches, the Public Agenda informs us that there is No specific Law on Hate Speech in Ghana. The Paper adds that there is no legal instrument available in Ghana to address the growing abuse of the freedom of expression by politicians by way of deterrence, says Mrs. Angela Aboagye-Dwamena, a lawyer. She is reported to have stated that the country's jurisprudence is yet to provide legislation that focuses on the use of hate speech to incite individuals and groups to violence.
The Heritage announces that IEA Presidential Debates Committee inaugurated. The institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Presidential Debates Committee for Ghana's 2012 presidential election was inaugurated in Accra on Wednesday. It forms part the IEA's efforts to promotes issue based and violence free elections.
ICC to examine petition over Ken Agyapong is what the Daily Graphic says in reporting that the International Criminal Court (ICC) says it will examine the merits or otherwise of a petition submitted by the Ghana Coalition for the ICC on the genocide statements made by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Mr. Kennedy Agyapong. Joy FM report yesterday said the ICC had given some indications of its intention to consider the petition.
We now move on to some news from the political parties as the General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, has stated that tribal politics in the contemporary Ghanaian Political history could be traced to the ruling National Democratic Congress. According to him, the NDC had always traced its root to the PNDC regime of 1981, an era that was greatly characterized by tribal politics and nepotism.
Meanwhile the Ho Central NDC accuses NPP. The Ho Central Constituency of the National Democratic Congress has accused the New Patriotic Party of a plot to buy the Biometric Voters Registration cards being issued to prospective voters in the Volta Region with the aim of disenfranchising supporters of the NDC. The Daily Graphic explains that according to them, the NPP, in their desperate attempt to win power at all cost, and to give meaning to their grand design of trying to reduce the voter turnout in the Volta Region, have resorted to bribery and subtle ways of influencing some of their NDC agents to be used as conduits.
The last headline that brings us to the close of today's newspaper review is news from the Chronicle that Two NDC execs arrested. The Ashanti Regional executives and some sympathizers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday stormed the Suame Divisional Police Headquarters after news broke out that two of their party agents at the Suame constituency had been arrested in connection with disturbances at a registration centre in the constituency. The two executives of the ruling party at the time of filing this report, were still in police custody after they were arrested in connection with violent disturbances that led to the destruction of two electronic machines at a registration centre at Kronum in the Suame constituency.
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.
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