Two political scientists have urged the two newly appointed Deputy Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission (EC) to chart a new and healthy relationship with the political parties through the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC).
It is their view that IPAC was an important mechanism for the commission’s engagement with the political parties; hence the need for positive engagement with the parties and not merely informing them of the EC’s decisions.
“Over the years, disagreements have made the IPAC forum less about building consensus and more about political grievances against the commission,” they argued.
The two, Professor Joseph Atsu Ayee of the Department of Political Science, University of Ghana, Legon and Dr John Osae-Kwapong, Project Director, Democracy Project, were sharing their views on the appointment of the two deputy chairpersons of the EC.
President John Dramani Mahama last Monday swore into office a former Director of Finance of the EC, Dr Joseph Kwaku Asamoah and Emelia Affi Agbenyo, a policy expert, as Deputy Chairpersons of the EC.
The appointment of Dr Asamoah and Madam Agbenyo was done in accordance with Article 70(2) of the 1992 Constitution, which stipulates that the President shall, acting on the advice of the Council of State, appoint the chairperson, deputy chairpersons and other members of the commission.
Prof. Ayee said the two must work with the Chairperson, Jean Mensa, to deal with the financialisation or monetisation of politics, which was one of the lingering issues which should engage the attention of the two deputies.
He said the two have to redeem the perceived dented image of the EC in terms of fairness, due process and impartiality and also work harmoniously with the chairperson, given the history of the perception of power struggle between the chairperson and the two deputy chairpersons.
“The EC should not be seen to have a divided front. The chairperson is a primus inter pares and, therefore, not the electoral commissioner, whose words are final and binding on the EC.
This means that there should be a spirit of camaraderie among the seven members of the commission who must agree on issues and matters after extensive consultation before taking a final decision,” he said.
Prof. Ayee was happy that the government had accepted the recommendation of the Constitution Review Committee that there should only be a chairperson and two deputy chairpersons, which is similar to the model of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
“This amendment, if implemented, will reduce the size of the EC from seven to three commissioners and reduce the tension and bickering among commissioners,” he stressed.
He said that the chairperson and the two deputies, one in charge of Finance and Administration and the other in charge of Operations, working harmoniously in the public interest with the four other commissioners was key in improving the image of the EC.
Procurement
He said the EC must also address procurement issues which had dogged it since its establishment in 1993.
“The new appointees will, therefore, be confronted with how to navigate these issues so that the EC is seen as following the Procurement Act,” he added.
Prof. Ayee further urged the two deputies to carry the staff of the EC along, as there was the perception that the chairperson and deputy chairpersons did not care much about the conditions of service of the staff who really do the work.
He said the staff of the EC consist of both permanent and temporary staff and dealing with them has always been problematic and attracted negative comments from staff.
“The corporate image of the EC has sometimes been on the line for poor conditions of service, especially payment of temporary staff after elections.
“It is the hope of all Ghanaians that the appointment of the two deputies will make the EC more robust and resilient and thereby improve its performance in electoral management,” he stated.
Public trust
For his part, Prof. Osae-Kwapong said the appointments came at a time when public trust in the EC was low as per the most recent Afrobarometer survey (Round 10, 2024).
“The public’s expectation of what these appointees can bring to the commission in a transformative way must be cautiously guided by the fact that they are but two of seven commissioners,” he said.
He urged the two to be guided by independence as the political past of one of the appointees was generating partisan debates in the public square.
He said in their public engagements, the deputy chairpersons must avoid the repeated cycle of some officials always appearing to side with the ruling party even though that might not be the case.
In addition, collegiality with the chairperson will be key so that there is always a shared sense of purpose and direction at the commission.
“No matter how difficult, transparency must be the default approach in dealing with the public.
The antidote to a public distrustful of the EC is more openness in its relationship with citizens,” he said.
Dr Osae-Kwapong expressed the hope that issues of trust and strengthening electoral integrity (the voter’s register, for example) would be among the issues they suggest as important to rehabilitating the image of the commission.
“Ultimately, public confidence rests on competence, fairness and openness, demonstrated consistently between elections, as well as during them,” he stated.
