The Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 2006, Act 699 (ROPAA) was passed to extend the right to vote in public elections and referenda to Ghanaian citizens living abroad.
In complying with the obligation imposed by the Act, the Electoral Commission has set up a Committee to make recommendations on how best the ROPAA can be implemented to pave way for Ghanaians living abroad to exercise their voting rights.
At a stakeholder engagement to gather public recommendations at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the Deputy Chairman Electoral Commission, Dr. Eric Bossman Asare said pragmatic measures are being put in place and Ghanaians living abroad will start enjoying their voting rights in the next general election.
Meanwhile a member of the ROPAA Consultative and Implementation Committee, Professor Benjamin Kunbuor explained that there are many people living abroad who hold themselves out as Ghanaians but who are in fact not Ghanaian citizens on technical grounds
He stressed that greater measures are being taken so that Non-Ghanaians will not take part in Ghana’s elections.
As the Committee agrees that those who breach the regulations must be punished, it could not find any legally acceptable procedures for charging and prosecuting offenders per jurisdictional problems.
The Committee therefore recommends that the matter on how offenders abroad can be prosecuted and punished should be referred to the Attorney General’s Department for advice.
Source: a1radioonline.com | Moses Apia | Ghana
