The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said it is premature to give the Electoral Commission an ultimatum to complete the production of a biometric voters register by the end of October 2011. According to the NDC, per the calendar of the EC, the registration of the electorate will start in November and until then; it is irrelevant to give ultimatums. The NDC's statement follows the NPP's announcement over the weekend that it will reject the biometric voter's register, if the processes for its production were not completed by the end of October this year. The NDC's Focal Person for the biometric voter's register, Mr Ahmed Gedel, told Citi News that the NDC will take a stance after November. In a related development, the Electoral Commission (EC) has dispelled fears surrounding the readiness of the biometric register ahead of the 2012 general elections. According to the EC, per its tentative timetable, the entire registration process should end by April 2012 after which the country would be fully geared up for a successful election later that year. The Electoral Commission has come under a barrage of criticism, especially from the main opposition NPP, for what it describes as “the lackadaisical attitude of the EC towards ensuring successful voters' registration and preparation of the biometric register which is said to be very technical in nature.” The Director of Public Affairs of the EC, Christian Owusu Parry, in an interview on Monday, said “there was a tentative timetable and the commission will commence registration of voters before the close of the year. “We have given ourselves up to the end of April next year by which time we are sure we would have finished registering all eligible voters in the country. As we speak now, we are still in the process of procuring the equipment but as you may be aware, certain issues relating to the procurement process have been a matter for adjudication in court. “We are going to court tomorrow to argue out our case and hopefully the court, we believe, will give a ruling and then we will continue with the procurement process and we will announce a date for the start for registration.” Mr Owusu Parry added that the deputy chairman of the EC would also meet the leadership of the NPP to discuss concerns raised by the Party.