The responsibility for averting any violence in the ongoing voters registration exercise has been laid at the doorstep of the political parties. Reacting to reports of violence, intimidation and illegal registration of minors at some of the registration centres, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, appealed to the political parties to refrain from acts that could undermine the exercise. Dr Afari-Gyan's reaction was prompted by reports over the weekend, especially from Tamale, that the two leading parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had traded accusations of electoral malpractice. There were also reports of conflicts, characterised by gunshots. He said if the political parties believed in consolidating democracy in the country, they must comply with the regulations guiding the conduct of the exercise. Expressing concerns over the alleged registration of minors by some political parties, Dr Afari-Gyan declared, "Political parties must stop the blame game and stick to the rules of the elections." He said the registration of minors and the bussing of people to take part in the ongoing registration exercise by some political parties were wrong and that it would be a disgrace to the country's democratic credentials if the reports were true. He asked why political parties were bussing people below the voting age to register, saying that doing so was a matter of grave concern and the whole Ghanaian society must speak loudly against it. He said it was not the EC that was engaged in bussing people; it was the political parties and yet the same parties would turn round to blame the EC for lapses they themselves had caused. He said political parties must not only condemn such disgraceful acts but must also be seen to be adhering to the rules regulating the conduct of the exercise, as well as their own codes of conduct. Regarding political tension and violence that had rocked some electoral centres within the Tamale metropolis, he expressed the hope that the presence of the police would help maintain law and order. Dr Afari-Gyan, however, reminded the political parties that there were laid down procedures to check underage voters, stressing that "there would be no cause for violence if all parties adhered to these laid down procedures". He said if political parties were fighting at registration centres, the EC would have no choice but to close them down, adding, however, that if the parties conducted themselves well, then the registration centres would be open throughout the exercise. Responding to concerns over shortage of electoral materials at some registration centres, the EC Chairman said, "It is temporary shortage and once the EC's attention is drawn to it, it will be corrected immediately." "We have enough forms, ink, laminators, among others, for registration and there should not be any cause for alarm," he stated. He explained that limited registration was not like a major registration exercise and it was not possible to know how many people would register. On why the EC acquired 2,500 workstations to cover the 5,000 electoral centres, Dr Afari-Gyan pointed out that it was prudent to do so and cost beneficial, saying that it did not make economic sense to acquire 5,000 workstations if the commission could conveniently do with 2,500. He also reminded eligible voters to look out for where the registration centres were in the daily newspapers to avoid running around unnecessarily. Source: Daily Graphic