Jean Mensa
Election management bodies should be stoic and unyielding to the machinations of any of its stakeholders no matter how overbearing they may be.
The Electoral Commission (EC) as currently constituted has earned the respect of many Ghanaians and the international community.
Only the mischievous who prefer cutting corners regardless of the consequences thereof will deny the EC this plaudit.
It is a constitutional institution which over the years has endured enormous pressure from some political parties to do their bidding.
The outcome of the resistance is encapsulated in the chequered history of the institution.
We have observed the pressure the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has piled upon this constitutional institution whose work impacts democracy immensely.
The Commission, regardless of the challenges in managing elections in our part of the world, has stood its grounds since the current crop of leaders took over. They have done this with their heads held high.
Every election has its own story, the 2024 polls not being an exception. The most outstanding story of the election referred to is the outstanding Ablekuma North results which has attracted varied commentaries.
The nationwide anxiety over the constituency’s delayed results came to a close a few days ago when the EC made an unusual U-turn from its earlier position that there are only three polling stations outstanding.
There is also a High Court order that the EC collates the results of three polling stations. Procedurally, the EC should seek a variation of this order before engaging in what it has announced it would undertake.
That has not been the case, as the EC whose Deputy Chair Dr. Bossman Asare had told Parliament it would not rerun the polls has made an unexpected about-turn.
In matters of election management, consistency is critical, the current show of inconsistency prompting questions about what happened.
A few weeks ago, Asiedu Nketia, Chairman of the NDC told the nation that the EC Chair and her lieutenants would be sacked. Such politically crude and reckless remark to originate from the chairman of one of the two prominent parties in the country sends worrying signals about the health of our democracy.
Many Ghanaians are wondering whether or not the EC’s about-turn was informed by the threats of the NDC Chairman.
There could have been many working parts in this whole equation. Expectedly, the immediate past ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have slammed the EC announcement.
To rerun 19 polling stations when those outstanding are only three prompts questions which impacts the integrity of the Commission.
The Deputy Chairperson in charge of Operations of the EC might have finished putting out the announcement, but the fallouts leave much to be desired.
The mayhem which characterised aspects of voting in the constituency under review should guide us in whatever decision ought to be made about the electoral area.
The sudden increase in the number of polling stations where the rerun has been announced by the EC smacks mischief.