At the core of Ghana’s democracy is an election managed by the Electoral Commission (EC). Though the EC is credited for successfully conducting series of national elections since 1992, its record has however been questioned in recent times due to certain unpopular decisions. Particularly troubling is the various allegations against the EC including working with government to rig the upcoming elections. These suspicions, allegations and threats of electoral violence among stakeholders especially political parties threatens the very existence of Ghana’s fledgling democracy.
In fact, the fear of political leaders opting to explore violent pathways instead of civic processes to settling electoral differences due to mistrust is now more imperative.
Truth be told, the widespread allegations and genuine concerns explicitly expressed against the EC is a testament of tangible evidence of citizens desire for responsive, free and fair elections.
Luckily, the solutions aimed at addressing these fears are in our hands. We have the necessary capabilities as a people to course correct. Yes, the EC has the greatest potentials to contribute meaningfully to deepening Ghana’s democracy through free and fair elections. Ghanaians want an electoral process that is fair to all players, a system that is open and not targeting to favor a particular political party against the other. We want an EC which will treat all electoral stakeholders as equals in the discharge of its constitutional mandate.
Indeed, it’s clear that electoral stakeholders including citizens won’t accept anything from the EC than clean and fair electoral outcome so far as the 2024 elections are concerned.
It will be in the EC’s own interest to restore its dented credibility through deliberate patriotic and transparent actions including showing respect to divergent views on the electoral process for same courtesies to be extended to the EC with the view of winning public trust once more.
The EC at this point, need to seize the opportunity and work closely by genuinely engaging all electoral stakeholders including political parties, media, civil society and other public interest groups concerned with Ghana’s democratic consolidation processes.
There is an urgent need for the EC to organize broader electoral stakeholders’ dialogues to frankly discuss important issues to ensure that the EC uphold the highest standards of impartiality and accuracy of the election results.
An independent EC is healthy for Ghanas democracy….The EC must be seen to be a dependable force for our democratic consolidation process and not a vehicle of destruction.
Indeed, it’s not too much to ask for a fair electoral system!
Richard KASU is a Civil Rights Activist & Executive Director, CFF-Ghana)