Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (“CARE” GHANA), a Civil Society Organization has called on parliament to urgently summon Mrs. Jean Mensa, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) to appear before its jurisdiction to respond accordingly to the alleged abuse of power, arbitrary behaviour, and unconstitutional conduct levelled against it in the 2020 elections.
The organization says the move would help promote democratic stability in Ghana, adding, “lack of accountability by the EC does not instill hope, rather, it creates an impression of an effort to shade the truth”.
A statement signed by David Kumi Addo, the group’s Executive Director vehemently condemn the conduct of the EC, insisting that it’s about time the law making body of the land exercise its powers to have the EC brought before it to clarify the numerous allegations levelled against it after the 2020 elections since it creates mistrust in the public’s eyes.
It would be recalled that before and after the 2020 elections, several allegations and accusations were levelled against the EC chairperson and the Electoral Commission that required some explanation from the EC.
For instance, the Electoral Commission on October 16, 2020 informed the general public it will commence compilation of transfer voters list and proxy voters list for the 2020 general elections on Tuesday October 20, 2020 and end on Thursday October 22, 2020.
However, it is alleged the compilation of the transfer voters list by the EC began on September 6, 2020 over a month before its announcement by the EC.
It is also alleged the EC supervised secret printing of excess ballot papers and refused to provide the ballot statistics to some political parties and key stakeholders.
The EC has also been accused of swapping voting figures for candidates in the 2020 elections and gerrymandering in the Volta Region, leaving the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) with no representation in Parliament.
According to “CARE” GHANA, transparency in operational and financial management is critical in the work of the EC, therefore, Parliament as the democratically elected representatives of the people must utilize its oversight prerogative and assert its role as the defender of the people’s interests.
“It is in Parliament’s interest to ensure that alleged breaches of electoral laws, rules and code of conduct are discouraged to ensure a fair and level playing field for all political parties”
“It is imperative to draw lessons from the Guinea and Mali situation and prioritize responsible actions that will build public trust for a stable democracy”, the statement concluded.
Source: Joseph Kobla Wemakor