The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is advocating for a standardized procedure to correct errors in election results, aiming to prevent confusion at polling stations and collation centres.
Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement at CDD-Ghana, emphasized that implementing such a procedure is crucial as the country works to improve its electoral process for credible and violence-free elections. He pointed out that there is currently no legal framework for addressing mistakes in the electoral process.
He noted that this situation allows election officials to use their own discretion in rectifying mistakes, leading to significant confusion. He made these remarks during a public dialogue on electoral reforms in Kumasi, which is part of a project aimed at promoting electoral reforms to enhance the credibility and transparency of the 2024 elections.
With funding from the European Union, CDD-Ghana seeks to consolidate the gains of past electoral reforms by providing a platform for stakeholders to address remaining gaps and improve the electoral process.
The event was attended by participants from political parties, civil society organizations, the National Peace Council, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), youth groups, and the media, among other stakeholders.
Dr. Asante emphasized that errors are inevitable during the collation of results, and highlighted the necessity of standardizing the correction process. This would ensure that, in the event of a mistake at any polling station, officials would have a consistent procedure to follow in order to rectify the error.
“That can be done by the Electoral Commission at its own level in terms of issuing directives as to how errors should be handled so that all the stakeholders will know the procedure when an error happens,” he said.
He stated that the quality of elections in Ghana has progressively improved over the years due to electoral reforms implemented to address gaps identified after each election. The objective is to continue enhancing the electoral process.
“If elections are credible, it benefits all of us. So see yourself as a citizen first, whether as a media person, party representative or any other stakeholder,” he reminded the participants.
He acknowledged that elections can be costly, but stressed that the principle of allowing everyone in society to have a say in who governs them is invaluable. Comparing elections to car lubricants, Dr. Asante emphasized that it would be impossible to select leaders without credible elections, potentially leading to political crises.
“We must constantly improve to serve the principles that it represents, which are universal adult suffrage, the right of association, fair competition, free speech, transparency and integrity,” he noted.
He acknowledged that elections can be costly, but stressed that allowing everyone in society to have a say in who governs them is invaluable. Comparing elections to car lubricants, Dr. Asante emphasized that it would be impossible to select leaders without credible elections, potentially leading to political crises.
