The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Jean Mensa, has reassured the public of the Commission’s commitment to transparency in its operations.
Speaking at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 1, Jean Mensa emphasized that the EC has taken significant steps to open up its processes to the media and political parties to foster trust ahead of the upcoming elections.
The meeting, which served as a platform for the discussion of electoral reforms and processes, ensured that all parties were involved in decision-making. This is to build confidence among political parties and the public.
According to Jean Mensa, this approach marks a departure from past practices, especially before 2020, where transparency was not as robust. She further highlighted that, the media has been given access to observe the entire nomination and registration process, expressing how open the Commission is.
”I would like to also state that we do not have anything to hide and if you would notice from our registration, whether it is the balloting we have opened up to the media, I do not believe this was the case prior to 2020. In the case of nominations, we have opened up nominations to the media and every single political party has had a stand and they have been given the opportunity to address the citizenry and we have also provided the citizenry with the opportunity to observe the process.”
The EC Chair noted that the current registration process involves collaboration with political parties from the beginning. She added that, the parties are given the opportunity to observe the process. This collaboration, she said, is part of the EC’s efforts to build trust in the electoral system.
“Twenty-one days before the start of a registration exercise, the political parties are provided, the EC provides the political parties with all the gazetted centers. This is to enable them to prepare their agents and have them observe the registration exercise. So from day one, if it is for twenty- one days, party agents are given the free will to observe the registration exercise.”
According to the EC Chairperson, Party agents, play a key role in ensuring transparency. They are present throughout the registration exercise to observe and verify data. They are further given reports to enable the political parties to monitor any discrepancies in voter registration figures across different regions, providing a robust framework for transparency.
“Party agents are provided with a start-of-day report indicating the number of persons who were registered the day before, and they are also given an end-of-day report.”
The Chairperson also mentioned that political parties can raise concerns if they notice any irregularities, such as unusual increases or decreases in voter numbers in certain areas.
“Any political party can today with the start of day and end of day report collate with near precision the number of persons who registered on any given day.”
In the event of disputes, Jean Mensa explained that the district registration review committees, which includes the representatives from political parties, are tasked with addressing challenges. This approach is designed to ensure transparency and accountability throughout the electoral process.
”And yes, some of them may have been challenged. The good news is that the district registration review committees have party reps on those committees and therefore they have that information to be able to act and to use it.”
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Story by: Joycelyn Glory | univers.ug.edu.gh
