Why the EC could not re-collate results for Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North parliamentary polls today  

The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced the suspension of the re-collation exercise for the Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North parliamentary constituencies.

This decision was prompted by challenges, including missing pink sheets and unresolved disputes over essential election documentation.  

EC Re-collation: These are the winners of the 9 outstanding parliamentary seats so far  

Dome Kwabenya: Missing pink sheets and documentation gaps  

For Dome Kwabenya, the process stalled due to the absence of pink sheets for three polling stations. These documents are reportedly available only in soft copy, and efforts to reproduce them in hard copy form have been unsuccessful.  

Both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been unable to provide the necessary records, exacerbating the situation. The NPP attributes the missing pink sheets to violent disruptions during the initial collation process. Party representatives claim their agents were assaulted, and critical documents were either snatched or destroyed in the chaos.  

Ablekuma North: Mountain of missing pink sheets  

The situation in Ablekuma North is even more complex. The returning officer disclosed that 31 pink sheets, out of the expected 62, are unaccounted for, rendering the re-collation exercise incomplete.  

Without these critical documents, the EC cannot verify or validate the results, leading to a deadlock.  

EC Management to decide the way forward  

In light of these challenges, the EC has deferred further action on these constituencies. Senior management is expected to convene to determine the next steps for resolving these electoral disputes.  

Seven constituencies declared so far  

While Dome Kwabenya and Ablekuma North remain unresolved, the EC has successfully declared results for seven other constituencies which were all won by the NPP. These include:  

- Obuasi East (Ashanti Region): NPP’s Patrick Boakye-Yiadom retained his seat.  

- Nsawam-Adoagyiri (Eastern Region): NPP’s Frank Annoh-Dompreh emerged victorious.  

- Tema Central (Greater Accra Region): NPP’s Charles Forson narrowly won.  

- Ahafo Ano South West Constituency:  Elvis Osei Dapaah 

- Ahafo Ano North Constituency (Ashanti Region): Nana Agyemang Prempeh of the NPP

- Okaikwei Central (Greater Accra Region): NPP’s Patrick Yaw Boamah retained his seat.  

- Techiman South (Bono East Region): NPP’s Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah was declared the winner.  

Background  

The truncated re-collation exercise follows a directive from the Accra High Court, which mandated the EC to resolve disputes in nine constituencies. The process, conducted under heavy police and military security, aimed to ensure transparency and adherence to electoral laws.