NDC urges EC to implement reforms

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to take immediate steps to implement the necessary reforms to enhance the credibility of the country's electoral processes.

"There are several steps to be traversed in order to enhance the credibility of our electoral processes," it said.

The NDC’s Director of Elections and IT, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, made the call in an interview with journalists shortly after the Returning Officer for the Presidential Election and the Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, declared the presidential candidate of the NDC, John Dramani Mahama, as the winner of the election and President-elect.

Recall

Mr Mahama garnered 6,328,397 (6.32 million) votes, representing 56.55 per cent of the valid votes cast while his closest contender, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party, polled 4,657,304 (4.65 million), representing 41.16 per cent of the total votes cast.

Reforms

Dr Omane Boamah stressed that the party was of the view that the EC should not wait for another four years to address the mistakes that led to issues in the recent election.

He, therefore, urged the commission to take swift action in implementing the reforms that would deepen the country’s democracy," Dr Omane Boamah stated.

"We would prefer that the Electoral Commission immediately give the reforms the needed attention," Dr Omane Boamah stated.

The EC has already implemented some reforms, including the opening up of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meetings to the citizenry and extending the period of notice for voter registration exercises. 

He, however, said the NDC was pushing for more comprehensive reforms to ensure the integrity and transparency of future elections.

Background

The call by the NDC falls in line with the call by some governance experts for the Electoral Commission (EC) to look into the process of how certified results at the polling station level are aggregated at the national level for declaration and fashion a more convenient and faster way of transmitting election results.

They said investment in technology by the commission would help remove the bureaucratic bottlenecks and make the electoral management body more effective and efficient.
Per C.I. 127, the EC had 72 hours after close of polls to declare the results.

However, some stakeholders in the electoral process have complained about the delays in announcing the results.