EC commended for elections ... but - Prof. Ayee

A Professor of Political Science at the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Joseph Atsu Ayee, has commended the Electoral Commission on its conduct of elections under the Fourth Republic.

He, however, said the setting up of a political party regulatory commission to regulate the activities of political parties would serve as check and balances to ensure that the Electoral Commission Act (451) was adhered to by political parties.

Sharing his perspectives on whether the EC had performed its mandate as a regulatory body of political parties, Prof. Ayee said irrespective of its challenges, the EC had done well in terms of elections but when it came to the policing of political parties activities, the EC has not lived up to its expectations.

He said although the EC was saddled with lots of functions as to handle public elections, political parties elections, referendum, the commission had not really involved itself in the regulation of political parties activities to see whether they were actually performing the functions assigned to them.

‘‘From Dr Afari Djan’s time to date, the EC has not rigidly enforced the rules and regulations on political parties because if the commission had done that, most political parties would not be in operation now. They would not stand a test of time because of their inability to meet certain requirements demanded of them,’ Prof. Ayee stated.

He said currently, the EC’s website had about 29 political parties; ‘‘but have these political parties actually performed their duties?’’

He also expressed concern about the billboards of political parties and candidates scattered around the cities.

‘‘We have had elections and almost eight months after the election, billboards of political parties and posters are still there. In most countries, the day after an election, all these things would disappear.

‘‘Ours is different because in our case, campaigning for the next election starts immediately after the general election which should not be so. There should be a period for political party campaign as it was agreed on as one of the 16 resolutions that were passed at the last Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting,’’ he emphasised.