2024
is the year of elections worldwide as some of the world’s biggest and respected
democracies will be heading to the polls to elect new leaders. Ghana is one of
those countries and as expected, the election management body, the Electoral
Commission of Ghana is preparing towards December 7, 2024.
As
part of preparations, the EC has put forward 3 “controversial” proposals which
it claims will make the electoral process more transparent and credible. The
proposals are already raising eyebrows among the country’s two major political
parties: the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress
(NDC). They include showcasing the election result sheets on an online portal,
closing polls by 3pm instead of 5 pm, and opening new polling stations.
Publishing of Result Summary Sheets
Online
The
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa, has announced
the EC’s plans to enhance transparency in next year’s general election by
showcasing results from all polling stations on a dedicated online portal. The
EC made the announcement during a stakeholder meeting organized by the National
Peace Council. The objective of the EC is to publish scanned signed pink sheets
on the portal, thereby providing real-time access to the public.
“This time around, we plan to display the
scanned signed pink sheets on a dedicated portal. We are confident that this
arrangement will promote transparency and engender further trust and confidence
in our electoral processes,” she said.
The
EC is also considering an all-year-round exhibition exercise where citizens can
check their registration details on mobile devices.
Creating new polling stations
The
Electoral Commission of Ghana says it is working to create more polling
stations in order to reduce long queues at polling centers in the upcoming 2024
election. The EC announced this at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) forum
in Accra on Thursday, adding that the number of voters per polling station will
be limited to 500.
“In
2020, 70 percent of our polling centers had a voter threshold of 500 and below.
This time we intend to ensure that all our polling station centers have a
threshold of 500 voters and below. In the same vein, we will increase the
number of our polling stations nationwide.
“We
believe that this will go a long way to reduce the long queues that
characterize our elections and allow for a smooth, seamless, hassle-free voting
process. In 2020, it took voters not more than five minutes to cast their votes
due to the introduction of this policy. Based on our 2020 experience and also
feedback from several observer groups, we propose to close the polls at 3:00
pm,” explained Mrs. Mensa.
Closing Polls at 3pm
The
Electoral Commission (EC) has justified its proposal to shift the closing time
of voting from 5:00 pm to 3:00 pm for the 2024 general elections.
The
Chairperson of the EC, Mrs. Jean Mensa mentioned that the adjustment is aimed
at promoting transparent and orderly vote collation during daytime. Mrs. Mensa
explained that the change is as a result of the experiences of the 2020
elections, where 70 percent of voting centers experienced minimal activity by
1:00 pm.
According
to the EC, the adjustment will reduce long queues and ensure a smooth voting
process by setting a 500-voter threshold for each polling station and
increasing the number of polling stations nationwide. She emphasized that
closing the polls at 3:00 pm would allow for efficient counting and collating,
fostering the transparency and orderliness sought by the Electoral Commission.
How are the politicians reacting to
the proposals?
The
Electoral Commission's (EC) proposal to close the 2024 elections at 3 pm has
sparked skepticism from Ghana's two major political parties, the ruling New
Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Though the EC Chairperson Jean Mensa gave justifications that the change will
enhance a transparent collation of votes, NPP's Communications Director,
Richard Ahiagbah urged the EC to ensure the proposed change doesn't deprive
citizens of their rights to vote.
On the other hand, Mustapha Gbande, the NDC's Deputy General Secretary, cautioned against any efforts by the electoral commission to manipulate the 2024 election. He stressed the need for a credible and transparent general election, emphasizing the NDC’s commitment to resist any attempts at rigging. Mr. Gbande was however quick to add that it's too early for his party to provide definitive commentary on the EC's stance.