Ghana opposition demands voter roll audit

Thousands of supporters of Ghana’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have been protesting nationwide to demand an independent forensic audit of the country’s voter register.

Party officials say they have identified errors in the electoral roll for December’s nationwide poll that require correction.

The election authority says errors that were previously identified have been corrected.

Ghana, which has held a series of peaceful but hotly contested votes over the past three decades, is heading for another knife-edge presidential election.

In capital city Accra, demonstrators clad in red and white T-shirts, carried placards with inscriptions such as “we need justice in this election”.

The NDC alleges discrepancies, including illegal name transfers, missing voters and the inclusion of the names of over 50,000 dead people.

NDC director of elections Dr Omane Boamah said an independent audit of the electoral roll is the only way to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.

He said his party had suggested the Electoral Commision (EC) allow the UN Development Programme to facilitate the process, but that this idea was rejected.

The EC has said calls for an audit are misguided and unnecessary, but the opposition warns that thousands of registered voters risk being disenfranchised if errors persist.

The commission said mistakes highlighted previously have been corrected.

The communications director of the governing New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagba, said his party has “faith in the Electoral Commission's independence to ensure a credible vote in December”.

Ghana goes to the polls in December 2024 in a two-horse race between John Mahama - an opposition candidate and former president - and current Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.

Both are promising to fix the country’s poor economic situation.