Dr. John Osae-Kwarpong, a Political Analyst and a Fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has expressed confidence in Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) to handle the forthcoming elections creditably.
However, he observed that the Commission is facing a minimal level of trust, just like most state institutions in the country.
In an interview on TV3’s News Central on Monday, May 20, Dr. Osae-Kwapong underscored that the Commission would have to do a lot more to win the trust of the citizens ahead of the December 7, 2024 elections.
“The Electoral Commission is not going into this election year with the most trust being repose on it by citizens, I’ve said regularly that the level of trust in our institutions is low and the EC itself is also facing such low level of trust.
“But I believe that generally they are well positioned to be able to handle the upcoming election,” said Dr. Osae-Kwapong.
Moreover, the Political Analyst commended the Commission for its swift response in addressing the issues that plagued the first few days of this year’s limited voter registration.
Due to technical challenges, the Commission in a statement on May 8 directed its District Officers to switch to offline registration mode to ensure a lot more of the applicants are captured onto the electoral roll.
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“I know that the limited registration exercise for example when it started created some challenges on the first two days, but I was glad once the issue was brought to the attention of the EC, they were quick to respond and put in some measures to ensure that everything went about smoothly.”
“But I think it would be very important for the EC to make sure that it is very proactive, it is on top of things when issues arise that they are very responsive to it, in a manner that keeps reassuring citizens that they will be able to deliver a free and fair election.
“So between now and December, that is the key thing that the EC must be guided by,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Commission is seeking to register about 623,000 first-time voters on the electoral roll in the ongoing limited voter registration exercise across the country ahead of the December 7 elections.
The 21-day exercise commenced on Tuesday, May 7, in all 258 district offices of the Commission. The exercise is expected to end on Monday, May 27, 2024.
Moreover, the Commission has set up additional 785 centres to cater to individuals who may have difficulty accessing the Commission’s district offices.
Also, 25 public universities have been included as registration centres.
“Permanent centres will be set up at the District offices while mobile teams would be used to register eligible applicants in the difficult-to-access Electoral Areas. The list of registration centres will be provided to the Political Parties no later than twenty-one (21) days to the Registration exercise,” it said.
EC boss assures of credible elections
The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, has emphasised the importance of compiling a credible voter register as election 2024 beckons.
She said that without a credible voter register, there can never be transparent elections.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Monday, May 6, ahead of the 2024 limited voter registration exercise, Jean Mensah said the Commission is poised to deliver a credible and transparent election.
The post EC is well positioned to handle election 2024 – Dr. Osae-Kwapong first appeared on 3News.
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