The Deputy Commissioner of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Bossman Asare has addressed concerns over the Commission’s decision in handling the contentious electoral re-collation exercise of the nine Parliamentary Seats.
Speaking about the controversies surrounding certain parliamentary constituencies following the December 7 general elections, Dr. Asare emphasized the EC’s commitment to transparency, adherence to legal procedures, and upholding the will of the people.
Dr. Asare began by referencing the constitutional and legal frameworks that underpin the EC’s operations. He stated;
“Our laws are very clear, starting from the Constitution, Article 45, which talks about the Electoral Commission conducting and supervising elections. When you come to our CI, CI 127 Regulation 43, it talks about how collation is done. It is very clear that for collation to take place, each candidate is supposed to have two agents.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
He added that apart from the agents, candidates and their spouses are also permitted to be present during the collation process, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Dr. Asare delved into the issue of nine parliamentary constituencies that initially faced challenges in their collation processes. Of these, seven have been resolved, leaving two—Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North—still under scrutiny. He explained the basis for the Commission’s decision to reexamine results in certain constituencies.
“After the December 7 elections, there was a concession by one of the presidential candidates. The Commission went ahead to declare the winner of the presidential election. However, in nine constituencies, results were outstanding. If you should add the registered voters in all these constituencies to the person who placed second, it would still not be enough to change the outcome of the presidential election.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
This reasoning formed the basis for declaring John Mahama as the president-elect. However, the parliamentary results in certain constituencies presented unique challenges.
“In Okaikwei Central, the declaration was done with only 210 out of 231 polling stations. Meaning there were about 31 polling station results outstanding. Reports from our district office revealed that they didn’t follow proper procedure. They themselves admitted that they were cajoled into declaring the wrong person the winner.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
He highlighted those similar issues occurred in Ablekuma North, where results from 62 polling stations were left out during the initial declaration.
A Stand Against Electoral Manipulation
Dr. Asare emphasized the EC’s unwavering stance against allowing external pressures to compromise the integrity of elections.
He recalled an incident where a returning officer was allegedly coerced at knife-point into declaring a winner.
“The same person who declared the winner in Obuasi East later said, ‘The one I declared wasn’t the winner. I was compelled to declare the wrong person the winner. The collation evidence is very clear. Figures for one candidate were swapped for another.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
He underscored the importance of following proper procedures to avoid setting dangerous precedents where might overrides right.
Addressing comparisons to the 2020 Techiman South controversy, Dr. Asare highlighted key differences. He explained;
“In Techiman South in 2020, our district officers gave us a report indicating that all the processes were followed. But in 2024, they didn’t follow the processes. The evidence on the collation sheet is very clear.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
He stressed that the Commission is determined to ensure such lapses do not recur.
“We’ve always maintained that in our democracy, the will of the people must prevail. The Commission has made it clear that we must maintain the credibility of our system. We don’t want to set a dangerous precedent where might make right.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
To this end, the EC has reviewed the contentious results to ensure only rightful winners are declared.
Dr. Bossman Asare’s insights underscore the Electoral Commission’s commitment to upholding the principles of transparency, fairness, and the rule of law. He charged;
“Once we do the right thing, and people are unhappy, the legal processes are there. But we don’t want a situation where an institution mandated to do the right thing allows improper declarations to stand. The Commission has done the right thing to ensure that only those who have won are declared winners.”
Dr. Bossman Asare Deputy Commissioner , EC
By addressing irregularities and rectifying mistakes, the EC aims to preserve the integrity of Ghana’s democracy.
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