A political scientist and fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), John Osae-Kwapong, has said the National Democratic Congress’ disagreements with the issue with the Electoral Commission has to do with mistrust.
Although the Electoral Commission had agreed at an IPAC meeting for political parties to observe the ongoing vote transfer exercise, it later made a u-turn on the basis that violent incidents were being recorded at some centres.
This directive contradicts the agreement reached during the May 29th IPAC meeting, where it was decided that political parties should be allowed to observe the transfer process to ensure transparency.
The sudden reversal by the EC has angered the NDC which insists it will affect the integrity of the process and give undue advantage to the governing New Patriotic Party.
Speaking on the JoyNews AM show, Dr Osae-Kwapong stated that “when trust is missing, even when you cough, people would want to know why you are coughing. I mean, it could be that you have a dry throat and a legitimate reason to cough, but it would not sit well. The action and inaction of the EC seem to be what is generating some of these concerns from the NDC.”
Dr John Osae-Kwapong emphasised the urgent need for reconciliation to address the longstanding issue of mistrust between the main opposition party and the Electoral Commission (EC).
He highlighted the critical role of the EC as an impartial arbiter in ensuring fair elections.
DrmOsae-Kwapong expressed concern that entering a major election with such deep-seated mistrust could jeopardise the integrity of the electoral process.
“I was very encouraged when the NDC returned to IPAC because then I said, look, at least they have shown some good faith effort that they would engage with the platform and engage with the EC using the IPAC platform. But it just seems like that frostiness is coming back again and questions are being raised about the intentions of the EC and what the EC is planning or not to do with regards to the 2024 election,” he noted.
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