(From left) Dr. Doris Dartey, EFG Vice Chairperson; Amadu Sulley, EC Commissioner; Ms. Ajoa Yeboah-Afari, EFG Chairperson and Mrs. Charlotte Osei.
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei, has allayed fears that the commission is not prepared adequately to organize a successful election on December 7, 2016.
According to the EC boss, the electoral body has put in place the necessary measures that would not only ensure a credible election, but also a violence-free poll.
Addressing journalists at a meeting hosted by the Editors Forum Ghana (EFG) on the theme, “Election 2016: Innovations, Flashpoints and Challenges,” the EC Chairperson said 94 out of the 97 things required for the election had already been deployed to the regions awaiting movements on the election day.
Ms Charlotte Osei said the only outstanding items are the printing of parliamentary ballot papers which would be completed by the end of this week, and the printing of the notices of poll for the presidential election, which would commence soon following the balloting for positions by the presidential aspirants on Wednesday.
“As soon as the notices of poll are out, the presidential ballot will be printed. Results collation forms printing will also start soon with political parties’ involvement since this is the first time it is going to be printed in Ghana.
“We do not believe that when it comes to the process that there is any cause for concern or worry that we are not ready for December 7,” she said.
Electronic Transmission
The EC Chair, however, noted that the challenge of the electoral body in conducting this year’s election is the electronic results transmission process which is yet to be finalized and its usage demonstrated to political parties to ensure that they understand it.
She said the main mode of results transmission is the manual one that is captured in the law, adding that the electronic transfer is just a pilot system to enable the EC compare the manual results to make sure they are the same.
Transparency
Charlotte Osei further indicated that the commission had adopted innovations that would bring transparency to the process from start to finish.
She said all the 28,992 polling stations would have two biometric verification devices – one primary and one spare – to ensure there is no break in the process when voting starts.
“We don’t anticipate any problems with the device but if there is a case of false rejection then the officer in-charge will use the manual verification which will be witnessed and signed by all the party agents present,” she indicated.
Unstamped Ballot
After voting, Mrs. Osei said counting would be made in the open, indicating that an unstamped ballot paper would be considered as foreign material and would not be counted.
She said another innovation would be the projection of results on the screen at the collation centres after which they would be published on the EC’s website according to constituencies.
“Then those results will now be sent to the national collation centre which replaces the former strong room. At this place for the first time, we will have some media access, observers and party agents to confirm the results from the collation centres with what has been sent.
“It is only when the scanned 28,992 polling station results are cross-checked, finalized by stakeholders and everyone is satisfied that the EC will announce the final results for the presidential while the returning officers make the announcement for the parliamentary votes at the constituency collation centres.
“This makes it very difficult for anyone to play mischief or amend the results, so it is really impossible for the EC Chairperson to change any results,” she explained.
Recount Option
She, however, said the commission would opt for a recount in consultation with the various political parties if the results are too close to call.
“In managing election, international best practices suggest that if the results are too close you take your time and make sure it is right. All we were saying is that it is better to be sure than to be sorry,” she added.
Proxy/Special Voting
Charlotte Osei, addressing the issue of special and proxy voting – which some political activists have alleged will be used by the commission to rig the elections – said there are only 534 proxy votes and not 270,000 as has been suggested.
She said the EC has also reduced the number of special voters from 120,000 in 2012 to 29,773, even with the inclusion of the media.
“This year, the number is about half of that excluding the electoral staff, and we have added the media this year; so media and security personnel come to about 29,773 and how we are going to use this to rig the elections still defies our imagination,” she stated.
She said the processes for early voting, which will be conducted on December 1, 2016 in every constituency, will follow the same process as the general election, “because in our view they are part of the general election.”
Flash Points
The EC Chairperson raised concerns about the 5,000 flashpoints identified by the police, especially with the recent 23 incidences of violence that characterized the limited voter registration and votes transfer.
She said the EC was working with the police to ensure that there is enhanced security at the hotspots identified, but urged politicians and the media to work towards managing very sensitive issues.
What keeps me awake at night are the intemperate language and rumour mongering in the media that has the likelihood of the outbreak of violence based on any of the issues I have already addressed, Mrs. Osei said.
She said it’s important the media report factually and crosscheck their facts before going on air or publishing stories that have the tendency of causing violence.
“One outbreak of violence in one polling station can lead to a bigger issue we may not be able to handle.
“It is in our collective interest as a nation to respect the law and the processes and not to shield wrongdoing but to report it,” she stressed.
Ayariga Saga
Asked if she ever made an assertion that the presidential candidate of the All Congress Party (ACP), Hassan Ayariga, would not win the election, the EC boss said, “What we are saying is that the candidates had gone to court and we are awaiting the outcome of the Supreme Court. At that time the Supreme Court had not even told us to extend the nomination period to correct it so there is no way we could have made a comment about Mr. Ayariga winning or not contesting.”
“We want an electoral process that is peaceful, respects the right of all Ghanaians who are eligible to vote.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri