Thousands of supporters of Ghana’s main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), protested across the country to demand an independent forensic investigation into the country’s voter register.
Party officials say they have found errors in the voter rolls for the December general election that must be corrected.
The electoral authority says previously identified errors have been corrected.
Ghana, which has seen a series of peaceful but fiercely contested elections over the past three decades, is set to hold another tense presidential election.
In the capital Accra, demonstrators dressed in red and white T-shirts carried placards reading “We need justice in these elections”.
The NDC alleges discrepancies including illegal name transfers, missing voters and the naming of over 50,000 deceased people.
Dr Omane Boamah, NDC Director of Elections, said an independent audit of the voters’ roll is the only way to ensure transparency and fairness in the electoral process.
He said his party had proposed to the Electoral Commission (EC) that the UN Development Programme facilitate the process, but that this idea was rejected.
The EC says calls for an audit are misplaced and unnecessary, but the opposition warns that thousands of registered voters risk losing their right to vote if mistakes continue.
The commission said the errors previously identified have been corrected.
The communications director of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagba, said his party “has confidence in the independence of the Electoral Commission to ensure a credible vote in December”.
Ghana will go to the polls in December 2024. It will be a race between two candidates: John Mahama, an opposition candidate and former president, and current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
Both sides promise to improve the country’s poor economic situation.
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