GhanaElection 2008 Functions of the Commission The Commission, in all its activities, is guided by its mission statement:“The Electoral Commission is a Constitutional body whose mandate is to deliver free and fair elections as a means of advancing the course of democracy and good governance in Ghana”. The main functions of the Commission are outlined in the Electoral Commission Act of 1993(Act 451), and subsequently by an amendment of section 2 of the same Act in 2003, by substituting paragraph(d) to read: “undertake the preparation of voter identity cards”, and section 12 subsection(1) by the substitution of paragraph(c) with the following:“the issue of voter identity cards,” and then the repeal of the Identity Cards Decree, 1972(N.R.C.D 129). In addition to the requirements of Article 45 of the Ghanaian Constitution, the Commission is assigned other statutory functions. The assignment of the above(statutory) functions can be found in the phraseology“perform such other functions as may be prescribed by law”. Below are the core functions of the Electoral Commission: · The compilation of the voters register; · The demarcation and periodic revision of electoral boundaries for national and local elections; · The conduct and supervision of all public elections and referenda; · Voter education; · Setting the dates of public elections; · Making regulations for the performance of its functions; · Appointment of staff in consultation with the Public Service Commission; · The registration of political parties and supervision of the election of their national and regional executive members; · Conduct of election of the officers of certain statutory bodies, including; the trades Union Congress(TUC), the Veterans Association of Ghana (VAG), the Ghana Medical and Dental Association, the House of Chiefs, and the District Assemblies. The Electoral Commission The 1992 Constitution of Ghana provided for the creation of an Electoral Commission and spelt out the framework of the Electoral Commission. As required by Article 43(1) of the Constitution, the Electoral Commission has a 3