[ 2016-12-13 ]

Lawyer punches EC on over voting allegation
Lawyer H. Kwasi Prempeh says the failure of the
Electoral Commission (EC) to tell Ghanaians how it
detected over-voting and how many polling stations
and constituencies were involved, raises questions
about the intervention it intended to make in the
form of reviewing of the results.

"It is disturbing that the headquarters of the
Electoral Commission is getting involved in the
results,” he said in a Facebook post.

There have often been issues with the appointment
of the EC’s Commissioners, especially the
Chairperson, by a President whose party or who
himself takes part in the voting.

Some political parties have leveled serious
allegations of bias and manipulation of the
outcome of the results against the heads of the
EC. However, their arguments are often defeated by
the fact that the commissioners and heads at the
headquarters of the Electoral Commission often
have no way of influencing the outcome.

This is because, on Election Day, they do not play
any significant roles at the polling station and
constituencies, and they don’t interfere with
the results from the constituencies.

According to lawyer Prempeh, if the head office of
the EC is allowed to review results, determine
over-voting and other irregularities, and decide
on what to do, the process can be undermined,
especially if Ghana ever gets corrupt or
politically compromised persons at the top

This, he said, undermine our democratic process.

He advised the EC to stick to the decentralised
nature of the election process so that those at
the top would have very little or no influence on
the outcome of Ghana elections.

He stated that if the party agents at the national
collation centre have issues with a particular
constituency result, they must prove why.

“By the time the results at the constituency
collation centres get to the national collation
centres, the party agents there should have the
certified figures from their constituencies.

“They ought to also have specific concerns, if
any, as the reason they should not sign certain
results", he added.

Source - The Finder

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