The Electoral Commission has in conformity with a Human Rights Court ruling on Friday, called off its intended plans to hold by-elections in the Wulensi and Kwabre West constituencies. The injunction follows a joint suit brought by four political parties - the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People's Party (CPP) and People's National Convention (PNC). The parties contended that there was no substantive voters' register with which to conduct the elections, asserting that the EC could not go ahead with the by-elections called in the wake of the death of the MPs for the two constituencies because of the absence of a valid voters register. The General Secretaries of the four parties in a rare unified action accused the EC of dabbling in illegality, an allegation the EC rejected. They argued that Constitutional Instrument 72 effectively repealed CI 12 on the basis of which the EC was seeking to use the old voters register for the elections. “In view of the ruling by the High Court in the case of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Asiedu Nketia and Ivor Greenstreet versus the Electoral Commission that the Commission cannot hold any elections using a register compiled under the repealed Public Elections (Registration of Voters Regulations) 1995 CI.12 and the fact that the Biometric Voters Register currently being compiled will not be ready for the aforementioned by-elections, the Commission has called off both by-elections”, a release issued by the Electoral Commission on Friday and signed by its Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, Sarfo Katanka stated. The statement further directed that all political parties, candidates and voters in the affected constituencies to take note and halt any preparations in relation to these by-elections.