EC Chairperson clarifies role and  security arrangements

The Electoral Commission (EC) has reiterated its commitment to conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible elections. 

The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, who was responding to questions at the first media briefing at the EC headquarters in Accra on the elections, said the Commission's primary role was to oversee the electoral process, while security arrangements were handled by National Election Security Task Force. 

Mrs Mensa emphasised that EC was not responsible for security, citing the Constitution of Ghana and other laws, such as the CIS, CI91, and CI127. "Security is not part of our functions, and we do not know the security strategy of the security agencies," she stated.

The EC Chairperson also addressed concerns about the presence of military personnel at polling stations, stating that this had not been brought to the Commission's attention. 

She noted that the Commission had a seat on the National Election Security Task Force, but its involvement was limited to providing support for security agencies.

The Deputy Chairperson of the EC in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, also clarified issues related to the packaging and storage of election materials, including the use of indelible ink. 

He debunked claims that the Commission had exposed validating stamps, explaining that these were packaged in envelopes and stored in ballot boxes.