Excessive partisanship drives the cost of elections in Ghana

General News on Thursday, February 21, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-02-21

The excessive partisanship and political mistrust of the two dominant political parties – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) – are at the origin of the high cost of general elections in Ghana.

The Vice President of the Electoral Commission (EC), Eric Asare Bossman, revealed that the cost of elections in Ghana was exceptionally high, compared to that of other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and even the United States . worrying ".

This, he explained, was a result of the excessive politicization of the problems and the high level of mistrust that had led the EC to adopt well-conceived electoral processes, both technological and global, to create a climate of trust and confidence. to preserve the integrity of the system.

Dr. Bossman spoke at the Central Region Advisory Consultation on the Implementation of the Act to Amend the Representation Act (ROPAA) in Cape Coast.

According to him, lies and mistrust were pervasive on the political front of Ghana, as well as on the electoral processes, which had generated unnecessary political tensions and occasional unrest that, if allowed to invade, could endanger peace and security. the stability of the country.

"There are too many lies and mistrust in today 's society – even traditional and religious leaders, presidents and many other people of high reputation are required to dip their fingers in the ink indicating mistrust in the political system, "he noted.

However, Bossman said Ghana's electoral system is one of the best in the world and the EC is committed to improving its performance through constant reforms and engaging stakeholders to promote transparency and accountability. to reduce the rising cost of elections.

He urged political parties to sensitize their members to cooperation with the EC to enable it to fulfill its mandate of ensuring fair and transparent elections.

As a result, they must support and not seek to undermine electoral processes and reforms through violence, intimidation, baseless accusations or any other illegal act.

The EC has not moved forward in general elections without consulting the various stakeholders, which is why "all participants must behave in a way that promotes a free and fair process," added Dr. Boss.

To ensure the inclusivity of the process and to strengthen political party confidence, the Commission holds regular Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings to provide detailed information on the procedures for its work, "he said. declared.

Free and fair elections, he stressed, depend on the multiplicity of actors, in particular; the electoral management body, political parties, law enforcement, media, government, judiciary and voters, who also had to play their role effectively for the desired peaceful elections.

Meanwhile, traditional leaders in the region have called for the implementation of the PA-RO to be deferred to allow the EC to review and badyze any concerns expressed by the public in order to avoid confusion during elections.

Among the issues raised during the engagement of the Central Region, it is worth mentioning the time differences in the world, which could cause mistrust if the election results were delayed due to differences in voting time and if Ghanaians from abroad were to return to their homes for General Elections.