GHANA PASSES PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATION BILL,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000472 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC GH PGOV PHUM SUBJECT: GHANA PASSES PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATION BILL, OPPOSITION DEMONSTRATES REF: A. ACCRA 345 ¶B. ACCRA 412 ¶C. ACCRA 355 ¶1. (U) Summary: On February 23, Ghana's parliament passed the Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, giving Ghanaians residing abroad the right to vote. The President has 21 days to sign the bill into law. Passage came two days after a major opposition demonstration in Accra turned unruly, leaving around 20 injured. Opposition parties are against the bill because they believe the ruling NPP party will use it to rig future elections. Police arrested eight protest leaders and are investigating the outbreak of violence and use of police force at the demonstration. Passage of the bill raises the political temperature in Ghana, and the opposition plans another demonstration on March 2. End summary. ¶2. (U) On February 23, Ghana's parliament passed the highly controversial Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill (ROPAB),which gives the right to vote to Ghanaian citizens residing outside of Ghana. The bill amends Law 248 passed under the PNDC government in 1992, which limited voting by Ghanaians living abroad to citizens employed by the government or serving in the United Nations, including government-funded students and UN peacekeeping soldiers. The President has 21 days to sign the bill into law, after which the Electoral Commission will be expected to provide comments on implementation. ¶3. (U) As reported reftels, the GOG and the ruling NPP party strongly support the ROPAB, asserting that Article 42 of the 1992 constitution entitles every Ghanaian citizen at least 18 years old and of sound mind to vote in public elections and referenda. The large amount of remittances coming from Ghanaian expatriates further strengthen the need to pass this bill, they state. In his January 31 State of the Nation address (ref A),President John Kufuor spoke out forcefully for passage of the ROPAB, arguing that it was previously supported by former President Rawlings of the NDC, and that those who opposed it "must have an unwholesome motive." ¶4. (U) The major opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party boycotted parliament on February 9 to protest this bill and alleged lack of respect from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) when a lawyer for the NDC Deputy Minority leader was referred to the privileges committee of 
parliament for questioning an action of the Speaker. Opposition parties believe overseas voting cannot be credibly implemented or monitored. The Electoral Commission lacks the capacity or funding to administer an overseas election, they claim. They question how such voting will be administered in a way which is accessible to all Ghanaians living around the world and they argue that the GOG should focus on other priorities. They fear the NPP will use GOG Embassies (with politically biased staff) to rig expatriate voting in the 2008 presidential elections. On February 14, the opposition led a peaceful demonstration in Accra against the bill. ¶5. (U) Passage of the ROPAB comes on the heels of a major demonstration against the law in Accra on February 21, organized by "Concerned Ghanaians", a coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups. The demonstration turned violent. Some opposition supporters reportedly set several tires on fire, threw stones, and tried to march on unauthorized routes. According to media reports, police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to control the crowds. There were reports of police beatings. According to media reports, 27 people were injured, 8 seriously. A Deputy Inspector of Police was also injured from pelted stones. The NDC publicly condemned the reaction of the police. Our NDC sources say they will protest passage of the bill in writing and in another demonstration on March 2. They have not decided whether to continue with the boycott of parliament. . ¶6. (U) The Director of Police Public Affairs, Deputy Superintendent David Eklu, stated "The Police Administration takes very strong exception to the various acts of lawlessness such as burning of lorry tires, stone throwing and other acts of violence that resulted in injuries" to the police. On February 22, police arrested (and later released on bail) eight protest leaders involved in the demonstration, including the NDC General Secretary, NDC National Women's Organizer, and the PNC National Youth Organizer, for charges related to destruction of property and obstruction of traffic. Minister of Information Dan Botwe affirmed to the media that the police had the right to ensure law and order, and that no one had yet been found guilty. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: We expected this bill to pass this week, given the NPP's support for speedy passage and the opposition's absence from parliament. The police are investigating the February 21 demonstration. While details remain unclear at this point, media commentators and eye witness observers point to some excessive use of force by the police. Pol FSN was in parliament when the ROPA bill passed and reported that NPP parliamentarians were celabratory. Passage of this bill and the forceful way the NPP pushed the law through will further aggravate the increasingly confrontational direction of Ghanaian politics. BRIDGEWATER