We�re Studying Supreme Court Ruling � EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) has said it is still studying the Supreme Court judgment on striking out the names of persons who registered with the National Health Insurance cards from the voters register.

The Supreme Court early this month ordered the EC to delete names of voters who used NHIS cards to register.

But the EC has said it is still studying the judgment and its implication for voters who registered with the NHIS cards after which the commission will come out with its decision.

The Director of Administration for the EC, Christian Owusu Parry explained the commission’s position on the matter saying “with regard to those who registered with the NHIS cards, the commission says it has to study the ruling in some detail, and when it has finished studying the ruling, it will make its views known to the public so we are waiting until the commission comes out officially on what it’s going to do with the NHIS registrants on the voters row.”

Owusu Parry said who could not give the exact number of voters whose names are likely to be deleted from the electoral register said “since the commission says it is studying the ruling, we want to wait until the commission comes out officially.”

The Supreme Court on May 5, 2016 ordered the Electoral Commission to expunge from the current voters’ register the names of all persons who registered and voted in the 2012 elections, with the NHIS card as a proof of identity.

In the ruling today, the Supreme Court, presided over by Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood, also ordered the Commission to take steps to re-register the persons whose names would be deleted by ensuring that they use the authorized process to get their names back onto the electoral roll.

The Supreme Court made the ruling in a case brought before it by a former National Youth Organizer of the People’s National Convention, Abu Ramadan and one Evans Nimako, who were challenging the credibility of the voters register.