The Coalition of Democratic Election Observers (CODEO) has flagged the abuse of incumbency as a key issue threatening the credibility of the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.
This concern was highlighted in CODEO’s second pre-election environment report, released on November 18.
The report is based on observations from field monitors across the country, who have been tracking campaign activities and electoral processes.
“Observers documented cases of potential abuse of incumbency involving government appointees or candidates,” the report stated.
Approximately 11% of observer reports highlighted instances where public resources, including vehicles, were used for campaign purposes by incumbent candidates.
A notable example occurred in the Tatale-Sanguli constituency in the Northern Region. The report revealed that campaign flyers for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate were used to brand machinery under the government’s District Road Improvement Program (DRIP).
According to the report, “Campaign flyers for the Tatale-Sanguli Member of Parliament and parliamentary candidate were displayed on DRIP equipment, including a bulldozer, which was being used for road maintenance and expansion in the Sagban community.”
CODEO expressed concern over the potential impact of such actions on the fairness of the electoral process.
The findings are based on weekly reports submitted by 97 Long-Term Observers (LTOs) deployed across 97 constituencies nationwide. A total of 193 weekly observation reports were analyzed to compile the insights presented.
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