The Electoral Commission (EC) has been urged to make conscious efforts to improve relations between opposition parties and parliament to enable the smooth implementation of electoral reforms.
Such a move, according to Dr Kojo Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, Centre for Democratic Development, Ghana (CDD-Ghana), would help in erasing concerns about favouring and being partial towards ruling political parties.
Also, he said, good relations with parliament would help in building consensus for the passage of the Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2021 which was unanimously rejected by parliament earlier this year.
He was speaking yesterday in Accra during a forum by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to assess election related activities in 2023 and their implications for next year’s general elections.
It was organised by the Star Ghana Foundation in collaboration with other CSOs including CDD-Ghana, Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), and Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA).
Dr Asante stated that, currently, the appointments of known political figures to the EC was eroding the public’s trust in the national electoral body.
He said, such a development could affect the electoral processes and result in flawed outcomes.
Another observation, he stated, was the widespread nature of the phenomenon of vote-buying in spite of efforts by the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) to curb the practice.
This, Dr Asante noted, had been enabled by lack of legislation and inadequate public knowledge on the abuse of incumbency.
He said, recent national elections have been characterised by violence and insecurity, adding that the lack of prosecution of perpetrators would embolden others pursue similar path.
He further bemoaned the threat of misinformation and fake news which had led to insecurity and political instability in some jurisdictions.
Eunice Rachael Agbenyadzi, Head of Programmes, Star Ghana Foundation, called for continuous reformation of the EC to make it totally independent.
She said, the current situation where partisan appointments were made to the EC threatens the independence of the body.
Mary Awelana Andah of GII, expressed concern about low advocacy on activities of the EC saying that “without it we believe nothing is going on, denying Ghanaians the opportunity to participate in those activities.”
She therefore urged the EC to step up efforts to increase public awareness and interest in the various activities including the district and local elections.
“It’s important that we strengthen communication strategy to provide continuous, comprehensive, and prompt information to election stakeholders,” she added.
Executive Director of IDEG, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, urged for more support for women in the political space to enhance their participation in the process of governance and decision making
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS AND EMMANUELLA AKIMBI
