“EC Vows to Maintain Fairness, Rejects Allegations of Party Favoritism”
The Electoral Commission (EC) has stated that it has no capacity to rig the 2024 general election in favour of any political party as is being speculated by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Commission said the watertight process of the country’s electoral laws and transparency of the EC’s activities did not give room for rigging of elections. The Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, stated this at a media engagement held in Accra last Friday, stressing that the NDC and other political parties should focus on training their agents to fully participate in the process leading to the elections rather than accusing the Commission of its intent to rig the elections.
Context
The media engagement by the EC came on the heels of a press conference addressed by the General Secretary of the NDC , Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, on Thursday, May 16 in which he accused the Commission of planning to rig the elections for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Elections
Touching further on the issue of rigging elections for the NPP, Mr Tettey stressed that “the EC is not in any position to rig elections for any party.” He explained that the electoral process, ranging from voter registration, exhibition of voters register, balloting for positions on the ballot paper, printing of ballot papers, to the activities on the election day, were transparent, and therefore, left no space for opacity.
For instance, he said political parties were officially informed of any voter registration exercise at least 21 days to the commencement of the exercise. Again, he said the level of transparency on election day, where all parties had their agents at polling stations and also monitored the counting and collation, made it impossible for rigging to take place.
“If a political party participates in all the process of the EC and collates their results well, their figure will tally with that of the EC. Elections are won at polling stations and not the EC headquarters,” he stressed. Mr Tettey discounted allegations by the NDC that the recruitment of returning officers by the EC was opaque.
Replacement
Mr Tettey said the EC would begin the replacement of voter’s identification cards for all persons in parts of the Volta Region who were affected by flooding following the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
He said the replacement exercise would begin on May 30, this year. “We have heard the appeal made by the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, for the replacement of the ID of our fellow Ghanaians in parts of North Tongu and other areas that were affected by the floods. We know that it is no fault of theirs, so their cards will be replaced,” he said.
Recall
The Volta River Authority (VRA) in September, last year, spilled excess water from the Akosombo and Kpong dams to protect the integrity of the dams. In the event, many communities in about eight districts in three regions, namely Asuogyaman, Shai Osudoku, the North Tongu, Central Tongu, South Tongu, Anlo, Keta Municipal, Ketu South Municipal and Ada East districts got flooded, displacing about 39,000 people. Some of the victims also lost their ID cards due to the flood.
