Commemoration of International Human Rights Day: CHRAJ commends stakeholders for successful elections
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has commended the Electoral Commission (EC), security services and other stakeholders for the role they played in ensuring a successful election.
It said although infractions of citizens’ right to vote, especially persons with disability were minimal, more effort should be made in future to educate vulnerable persons on the electoral process to facilitate their right to vote.
Other observations made included issues of delays, the right to privacy, the right to personal integrity and acts of intimation.
This was contained in an interim report put together by the commission’s 300 observers of the December 7, general election.
The report was signed by the CHRAJ Commissioner, Dr Joseph Whittal, and released in Accra yesterday.
The release coincided with the commemoration of this year’s International Human Rights Day, as part of activities to promote awareness of human rights issues.
The commission commended the Vice-President and the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for conceding defeat in good time, which it said helped to calm down tension for peace to prevail.
It appealed to supporters of the winning party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to be measured in their celebrations, and also desist from destroying public property.
Report
The report further observed that some 184 polling stations, representing 69.4 per cent, opened polls at 7:00 a.m., while 81 others, representing 30.6 per cent, delayed in starting the polls.
There were also late arrival of polling materials and equipment, delays in sorting and arrangement of election materials, and late arrival of EC officials, among others.
On the right to privacy, the commission observed that 252 voting booths, representing 95.1 per cent, were situated in a way that respected the secrecy of voting.
“The remaining 13 (4.9 per cent) of the polling stations had booths either facing officials, voters, observers or were too close to each other and, therefore, could compromise the secrecy of the ballot,” the commission said.
It also said there was limited space to facilitate special arrangements for persons with disabilities, the elderly and pregnant women.
Casualties
The commission further said that three civilian electoral deaths occurred in Nyankpala in the Tolon Constituency of the Northern Region; the Damongo coalition centre, in the Gonja Municipality in the Savannah Region, and Kasoa Zango, in the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region.
The report said 11 election officials were intimidated by party supporters for alleged unfairness, leading to situations where they were prevented from enforcing voting laws and rules.
There were also reported cases of pepper being sprayed on voters at the Okaikwei North collation centre in the Greater Accra Region, leading to the collapse of two EC officials.
The report also said that there was a military presence at some polling stations and the firing of guns following a confrontation between some party supporters at the Ledzokuku collation centre in Accra.
The report further observed that there were some 12 instances where gifts were offered to the electorate near polling stations.
Eight of them involved the distribution of food items such as bananas, groundnuts, food packs, bags of rice, water and GH¢ 200 for each voter, allegedly by some party officials.
“When recipients were interviewed, only one person admitted that the gift would influence their vote,” it said.
Condemnation
The commission condemned such infractions and described the offering of gifts to voters as an act of corruption.
On abuse of state resources, it said out of the 268 polling stations observed, six, representing two per cent, indicated that state vehicles, embossed in green number plates or GV Number plates were used to the advantage of the ruling party.