2024 Ghana Elections will be best ever: 97% Eligible citizens on voters register - EC

The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured Ghanaians that it will conduct the best polls in the country’s history in the 2024 general election. 

It said with more than 18.7 million eligible Ghanaians, representing 97 per cent of all those eligible to register as voters, captured in the current voters register, the EC had compiled one of the most comprehensive electoral registers anywhere in the world.

At the fourth edition of the Graphic National Development Series 2024 in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Chairman of the EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Eric Bossman Asare, said various mechanisms put in place by the commission would ensure that the elections were peaceful, fair and transparent in order for all parties to accept the outcome.

"The over 18.7 million registered voters on the register constitute about 55 per cent of the country’s population, and this gives a clear indication that the EC is committed to ensuring that any qualified person has the opportunity to vote during the election," he said.

Dr Asare said those mechanisms included the provision of a credible voters’ register, transparent printing and distribution processes of ballot papers, adequate training for electoral officers, collaboration with the security agencies for election security and the opening up of the entire electoral process for observation by key stakeholders, particularly the political parties and the media.

"The EC has no interest whatsoever in this election, except to ensure that we have a transparent process to elect a President and 276 Members of Parliament (MPs). We are well poised for a peaceful election on December 7, and we urge political parties to also educate their agents to conduct themselves well so that we can keep the peace of this country intact before, during and after the elections,” Dr Asare stressed. 

Graphic Dialogue

The event, held on the theme: “Sustaining civic and democratic governance system for development: Mandate of all citizens", brought together key stakeholders in the electoral system, including the EC, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), security agencies and traditional authorities.

Dr Bossman Asare (left), Deputy Chairman of EC in charge of Corporate Services, addressing participants in the forum. Picture: EDNA SALVO KOTEY­ 

The series is a forum that discusses key national development issues ranging from education, agriculture, sanitation, economy, to democratic governance.

Previous editions of the series delved into pertinent issues in the agriculture, education, natural resource management, and sanitation sectors.

Consolidating gains

Dr Asare said crucial as the December 7 polls were, he was optimistic that the initiatives the EC had implemented since the 2020 elections and the current electoral process would ensure that the country had its best elections in the Fourth Republic.

Participants in the forum

Again, Dr Asare said, throughout this year's voters register compilation process, the EC had been transparent and carried all stakeholders along to ensure that the final poll book was credible.

He added that it was part of the process to get a credible register to be the foundation of credible elections that the EC re-exhibited the voters register for the first time in the country’s history.

Additionally, the Deputy EC Chairperson said, it was in the spirit of transparency that political parties were given the opportunity for the first time to observe the voter transfer process at the district offices of the commission.

He also said maintaining the filing fees for presidential and parliamentary candidates at GH¢100,000 and GH¢10,000 respectively also fit into the grand objective of the EC to make the elections accessible to all.

Dr Asare further said the initiative by the EC to open up the ballot printing process to the media had demonstrated amply that it was ready to deliver free, fair and transparent elections.

He added that in the interest of transparency, the EC had also widened the scope of accreditation for election observers, and that "we will record the largest number of election observers in this year's elections".

Security

Dr Asare said the EC was working closely with the Ghana Police Service and the Election Security Task Force to ensure that eligible voters exercised their franchise in a conducive environment.

He stressed that although the real mandate of maintaining peace and security during the elections was the responsibility of the security agencies, the EC was collaborating with the security task force to ensure that the electoral process was not disrupted by violent activities.

He urged political parties to prioritise the peace of the nation above all other interests by making sure that they did not engage in violence for electoral gains.

He also called on all stakeholders to work hard to improve the 79 per cent voter turnout that was recorded in 2020.

"With the voter population now increased to over 18.7 million, we need to work to improve the turnout. Even if we cannot go beyond the 79 per cent turnout, we should maintain it," he said.

Media accreditation

Dr Asare said the commission had put on hold its earlier decision to restrict media coverage at the collation centres during the December 7 polls.

He said the EC was currently engaging the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) on the best way forward on the matter.

"We put out a memo to our regional and district officers on limited access to the media at collation centres. We wanted to ensure that there is orderliness at the collation centres and not to restrict media coverage of the collation process, but the memo got out to the public.

"We have listened to the concerns that have been raised about the decision, so we are having a discussion with the GJA and GIBA to see the way forward," he said.

"We want to assure everyone that the EC will not do anything to hinder the media's work in the electoral process; so, we will communicate new measures on this matter soon," he added.

Civic responsibility

A principal civic education officer at the NCCE, Hagar Ampah, commended the GCGL for creating the platform to discuss issues related to the December 7 polls.

She said the credibility and transparency of the elections required the collaboration of all stakeholders, for which reason all citizens must play active parts in the upcoming polls.

Ms Ampah said the December polls were crucial because the quality of leaders who would be elected would define the next phase of the country’s development.

“It is our duty as citizens to participate in the democratic process, hold our leaders accountable and contribute to the country’s development,” she said.

While giving the assurance that the NCCE would step up its awareness creation drive ahead of the elections, she called on all eligible voters to go out in their numbers and vote as a civic responsibility.

Ms Ampah also underscored the need for actors in the electoral process to stay away from acts that could lead to violence during the elections.