A group of Ghanaians based in the United States of America (USA) say they will hold a demonstration and Press Conference to demand free and fair elections in Ghana.
The group, Concerned Ghanaians in the USA, say the demonstration will be held at the forecourt of the Capitol Hill, the West Front Grassy Area 1 at the Lower Centre Portion, Washington DC on Saturday, November 21, 2020, at 1:00 pm
The group’s action aims at drawing the attention of world leaders and the international community to the growing tension and allegations of disenfranchisement and election rigging plots by the ruling government and the Electoral Commission of Ghana, concerning the upcoming December 7, 2020, presidential and parliamentary elections.
According to the group, they will be advocating for close monitoring of the polls by international observers to save the nation from any potential pre-election and post-election disturbances.
Their action, they say is aimed at preserving Ghana as an icon of democratic rule in Africa, like many countries in the continent benchmark from the nation in terms of democracy and peace.
In a statement signed by the group’s Spokespersons, Dr Solomon Owusu and Kevin Taylor, they allude to brewing tension resulting from electoral flaws allegations levelled against the current EC chairperson in past exercises upon her assumption of office and preparations towards the upcoming elections.
“Some of these flaws included alleged duplicate voters in the biometric registration system, missing names from the new voters’ register, deletion of names from the register without publishing the list of the affected people and intimidations to prevent members of the opposition political parties from registering to vote, among others,” the release said in part.
According to them, the flaws have created an inconsistency in the fundamental link between the trust in election infrastructure and the confidence that Ghanaians place in the basic democratic function.
The group noted in its release that the Ghana electoral process infractions under the leadership of the EC chair, Jean Mensah, have raised serious red flags concerning the credibility and transparency of the upcoming elections.
The group has since served notice of its intention to submit a written petition to the Ghanaian EC with copies to the President of the Republic of Ghana, the UN, EU, AU, ECOWAS, as well as Ambassadors and High Commissioners in Ghana.