We are not in office to do President Akufo-Addo's bidding - EC Chair Jean Mensa

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa has said that the commission members are not in office to do the bidding of President Akufo-Addo.

According to her, they were in office to serve the nation, and in doing so, they were determined to be fair to all.

Mrs Mensa said this in Accra Tuesday [December 3, 2019] at the inauguration of a 21-member Eminent Advisory Committee to, among other things, enhance interactions between the EC and Ghanaians.

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As a commission, she said “we are determined to ensure a level playing field for stakeholders; the political parties. We are determined to be fair, transparent and accessible to all - not to one political party or a few, but to all.”

“Indeed since our assumption of office, we have been trying our best to do just that. To this end, we have held regular IPAC meetings where we present our activities in an open and transparent manner. We have ensured regular information sharing with all our stakeholders and we have maintained an open-door policy. And yet, notwithstanding these and other efforts, suspicion about our independence remains high," she said.

“I believe that this suspicion is linked to the mode of appointment of public holders such as ourselves. As a result of a sitting president appointing us, it is perceived that we are here to do the president’s bidding. I am here to assure you all that this commission is not cast in that mould.”

Mrs Mensa said the EC was instituting systems and structures to ensure credibility in the country’s elections.

“We recently introduced a code of conduct to guide and regulate all field officers of the EC, both temporary and permanent. The code governs our operations in the field before, during and after elections and includes stringent sanctions upon staff who violate its provisions,” she said.