Support calls for broader consultation — LMVCA
The Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) has called on Ghanaians to join the call for an open and transparent process leading to the appointment of the next Chairman of the Electoral Commission( EC).
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This, the pressure group said, was to protect the sanctity, beauty, transparency and the acceptability of the results of the 2016 elections and future elections.
At a press conference in Accra on Monday, Mr David Asante, a member of the group, said Ghanaians risked shredding the democratic gains if they did not insist on an open and transparent process.
Mr Asante explained that the call for broad consultation would not take away the constitutional powers of the Council of State in advising the President on who to appoint as the next EC boss.
He stressed that the idea to engage in broader consultation was not unconstitutional but rather a response to the democratic spirit of the constitution and the contemporary democratic mood of the country.
He said the broad consultation could also help revive the public’s confidence in the electoral process.
According to him, Goodluck Jonathan, outgoing Nigerian President would be remembered for the major contribution he made in securing that country’s democracy by appointing a man of great courage and integrity to head the electoral management body of Nigeria.
Mr Asante, therefore, called on President John Dramani Mahama to be guided by this achievement of President Jonathan.
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He also stressed that the Council of State ought to consult political parties through the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) since the inputs of political parties were very essential as they would ultimately be affected by the choice.
He further asked the Council of State to engage civil societies , the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the Ghana Bar Association (GBA)) since they could play a meaningful role in the search.
Present at the press conference were Mr Kusi Amponsah of Ghanaians in Defence of Democracy, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, a member of LMVCA and Atik Yakubu of Concerned Ghanaians.