By Francis Ameyibor

Accra, March 22, – Lieutenant General Peter Augustine Blay, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has revealed that the military was ready to fully participate in the Biometric Voter Registration exercise scheduled for March 25-May 4.

“The military considers the exercise as a civic responsibility as well as a constitutional obligation to register and actively get involved in the electoral process.

“We serve as active core group for maintenance of peace and security before, during and after the election...we therefore need to understand the whole electoral process through dialoguing with the Electoral Commission (EC) and other stakeholders,” Lt Gen. Blay stated at a day’s sensitisation programme for the military on the exercise.

The dialogue at Burma Hall in Accra, was organised by the EC on the theme: “Enhancing the credibility of 2012 Elections; Dialoguing on Biometric Voter Registration with the Military”.

It was attended by a large contingent of Officers and Men from the Ghana Army, Ghana Navy, Ghana Air Force and Civilian Employees.

Mr David Adeenze-Kangah, EC Deputy Chairman in-charge of Finance and Administration explained that the Commission was making arrangements to ensure that Ghanaian Peacekeepers were not disenfranchised by the exercise.

“The technical mechanism of Biometric Voter Registration inhibits Proxy Voting, Voter Transfer and possibly Special Voting; the Commission is therefore consulting other stakeholders to develop the necessary operational instruments to circumvent the challenge.

“EC will not disenfranchise any potential electorate more especially Security Officers on national duty, as well as other personnel on official duty outside the country,” Mr Adeenze-Kangah explained.

Responding to questions on the fate of military personnel currently on peacekeeping operations outside the country and would not be available during the exercise as well as those who would participate in the exercise but would be on peacekeeping operations during the Elections, Mr Adeenze-Kangah said “We are still working on how to capture their data”.

However, he advised that those on peacekeeping operations now to either take advantage of the mopping-up exercise on their arrival or report immediately to EC District Office for registration as soon as practicable.

On qualification requirement for the exercise, the EC Deputy Chairman said only valid documents would be admitted; “expired drivers licences, passport and other time bond documents will only be admitted if its valid”.

He explained that the exercise involved the use of biometric technologies - computers, fingerprint scanners and digital cameras to capture the bio-data of applicants.

Fingerprints are unique to every individual and it is these unique features and other details that are stored in the computer from which the voters register is produced.

Mr Adeenze-Kangah said the exercise had an inbuilt mechanism for detecting multiple registrations - biometric technology would make the detection and removal of multiple registrations from the system possible “With this a more accurate and reliable register will be produced for the elections”.

He said the upcoming registration exercise would result in the compilation of an entirely new voters’ register that would replace the existing one and all previous voters ID cards...”Every registered voter must therefore be registered anew”.

The EC Deputy Chairman noted that it was an offence for any person to be in possession of another person’s voter ID card without the express consent of that person.

“No political party or any organisation shall be in possession of the voter ID card of any of its members or any other person without the express written consent of that member or person,” he said.

He said any person convicted of unlawful possession of another person’s voter ID card was liable to a fine not exceeding 500 penalty units or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years for each voter ID card held unlawfully.

Any political party, organisation or group of persons convicted of unlawful possession of a voter ID card is liable to a fine not exceeding 1000 penalty units for each voter ID card held unlawfully.

Mr Adeenze-Kangah advised potential electorate to keep Voter ID card safe and neat for voting on Election Day, must avoid multiple registrations, since the exercise would expose anyone who tried to manipulate the system and be liable for prosecution.