Mrs. Charlotte Osei the Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission has promised to ensure a smooth election in December. No one doubts her pledge to a successful election. However in view of her recent performance she needs to tread cautiously.
She is one of the few female women in responsible positions. We are proud of her being a role model. But she must know that the EC is a national institution in which all 26million or so people have a stake.
She was appointed in accordance with the 1992 constitution. However she has no power or right on her own terms just because the EC is independent. She got away with her decision to change the logo of the EC at the time some people thought the move was not largely beneficial. Apart from the financial wastage that would not add anything to the nation.
Her second move was the disqualification of some thirteen presidential candidates, an issue that led to numerous court cases against the EC and its financial burden from legal costs. This was also avoidable if the EC had taken the trouble to assist the presidential candidates concerned to fill their nomination forms properly.
The third and the most dangerous move is her intention to stop the cause of polling and effect recount of ballots when the result becomes so close to call. This intended move by her as relayed on BBC is alien to Ghana’s electoral process. There has not been any occasion in Ghana when polling was stopped for a national recount just because the results is too close. The new EC boss needs to know that she is only a referee and a monitor and not a party to the polls.
She has no right to stop the processes of polls since she has got representative in all the 29,000 polling stations watching over the election simultaneously.
A recount can only take place in one or two polling stations where problems occur. If charlotte osei goes ahead to stop the processes of election just because it is too close to call or too wide apart, she is likely to create a national crisis. My advice to her is that she must not take interest in whatever emanates from the polls for winners can be declared in close elections when one candidate out of the lot obtains 50% votes over the rest.
so the EC must not interfere with the votes cast by the entire voters of Ghana in all the 29,000 polling stations. It is not only EC officials. Party agents, national and international observers from European Union and ECOWAS etc will also be witnesses to what goes on in the elections and are likely to pronounce their own findings.
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(Via: NewsGhana)
