CODEO urges police to provide update on related violence

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has called on the Ghana Police Service to inform the public about the status of investigations into all election-related violence recorded during the election and in the post-election period.

That, it said, was in line with public accountability.

This was contained in CODEO’s post-election observation report issued in Accra yesterday and signed by its National Co-ordinator, Mr Albert Arhin.

The report summarises weekly observation reports submitted by observers and covered the period December 22, 2020 to January 20, 2021.

“CODEO is continuing with its post-election environment observation and will duly share its findings with the public when necessary. CODEO’s post-election observation exercise is made possible with the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),” it said.

Election petition

It commended all candidates challenging the 2020 election outcomes in the various courts.

It has, therefore, urged all candidates, political parties and their supporters to cooperate with the courts to determine the merits or otherwise of election petitions.

“CODEO also calls on all stakeholders, the media and the general public to be circumspect in their general discussions on the ongoing court hearings so as not to jeopardise legitimate processes of the court,” a statement on CODEO’s observations on the 2020 election environment, said.

Findings 

It said weeks after the December 7, 2020 polls, the post-election political environment in the constituencies observed had generally been calm and peaceful and that while the official results declared at the constituency level by the Electoral Commission (EC) were generally accepted by political parties and their supporters, “observers reported a few post-election disputes over the conduct and outcomes of the December 7, 2020 polls in the constituencies observed. Some of these disputes have ended up in courts”

It said among other things that the immediate post-election environment saw several disturbances and protests over election outcomes in some constituencies as reported in the media.

“However, weeks on, the post-election political environment in the observed constituencies has generally been calm and peaceful. CODEO’s post-election observers noted few incidents of election-related disturbances and the threat to peace and security in the constituencies observed during the period of observation,” it said.

Background

It said CODEO deployed 30 observers to observe the general post-election environment, particularly the activities of political parties and key electoral stakeholders in 30 purposively selected constituencies across the country.

“CODEO’s post-election observers have been submitting weekly observation reports covering a range of issues within their respective constituencies,including election disputes/litigation and adjudication; the conduct of political parties, their supporters and other key actors; the incidence of violence and the general political environment,” it said.