A Democracy and Development Fellow at CDD-Ghana, John Osae-Kwapong, has stated that trust in the Electoral Commission (EC) is currently at its lowest point in the history of the Afrobarometer survey.
He emphasised that the EC should take steps to avoid giving any election stakeholders further reasons to doubt the transparency and fairness of the electoral process, especially as the December elections approach.
The Electoral Commission has committed to holding accountable all officers involved in electoral malpractices, following allegations of unauthorised voter transfers during the exhibition of the provisional voters’ register.
These transfers, which occurred without the consent of the affected voters, involved moving voters from polling stations in the Tamale South and Sagnarigu constituencies to the Pusiga constituency in the Upper East region.
It is on the back of this, that Dr. Osae-Kwapong in his contribution on the JoyNews’ AM Show, urged EC to be more cautious in its operations before, during and after the polls.
“Everyone should go into the December 7 elections confident that the processes will ensure a free and fair election. When you hear the news that an officer—even if it is just one—has illegally transferred voter registrations from one place to another, it raises serious concerns. Even a single incident can fuel a lot of questions,” he said on Tuesday.
He noted that although it is a positive step that the officer involved has been suspended, the Commission cannot afford any mistakes in the upcoming election, especially given the current perception of its integrity.
Dr. Osae-Kwapong added that while no system is perfect, people are unlikely to distinguish between honest mistakes and deliberate wrongdoing in this context.
“I hope the EC will be very sensitive to this issue and ensure they do their utmost to avoid giving anyone any reason to doubt the election process,” he said.
Source: Isaac Kafui Nyanyovor