GHANA Care for Free and Fair Elections Ghana (“CARE” GHANA) has called on Parliament to invite Mrs. Jean Mensa the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) to appear before parliament to respond to the alleged abuse of power, arbitrary behavior, and unconstitutional conduct in the 2020 elections.
It has stated that Parliament as an institution responsible for monitoring and reviewing actions of organs of government must hold the Electoral Commission to high standards of accountability.
“The lack of accountability by the EC does not instill hope, rather, it creates an impression of an effort to shade the truth. Before and after the 2020 elections, several allegations and accusations were leveled 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. These allegations require some clarification from the EC since it creates mistrust in the way the public perceives the EC,” CARE Ghana stated.
This was stated in a press release dated 22nd September, 2021. The statement was signed by David Kumi Addo Executive Director (“CARE” GHANA)
The thinktank alleged that 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. The absence of responses to such allegations invariably leads to the suspicion that fraudulent activities had taken place in the just ended elections. It is important that the general public perceives the EC as impartial and this can be attained by ensuring such allegations and accusations receive timely responses to foster credibility. “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 said.
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