The Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Bossman Asare, has stressed the need for Ghanaian citizens to demand their democratic rights.
Dr. Asare made this known at a National Forum on “The Effect of Monetization of Elections on the Outcome of Ghana’s Elections and the Role of Citizens in Free, Fair, and Transparent Elections,” held in Accra.
The forum was organized by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), and the Center for Democratic Development (CDD).
Dr. Asare pointed out that the practice of democracy in Ghana is not the duty of only politicians but of all citizens. He added that one way to do this is by holding leaders accountable, and therefore, vote-buying in both party and national elections is unacceptable.
“The democracy we are practicing in Ghana is not for a few people, and it is not for sale. It is for all of us, so we must do all we can to ensure that proper measures are put in place to avert monetization,” he reiterated.
He believes that if citizens become effective in demanding their democratic rights, it will go a long way in reducing or preventing monetization in politics.
Dr. Asare also questioned the source of political party funding and advocated for policies and reforms to help monitor political party funding and activities.
Regarding misinformation during elections, Dr. Asare advised citizens who use social media and other platforms to spread false information about so-called illegal activities by the EC to desist from doing so. He said some individuals deliberately mislead the public with false claims about election malpractices by the EC, which, according to him, could lead to conflict.
He also cautioned the youth to be wary of political party functionaries who use them as agents to cause mischief during elections, thus avoiding chaos.
“There is no way the EC can cheat in elections for any candidate or political party since all activities concerning the elections by the EC are done with the involvement of all parties,” he emphasized.
Highlighting the Commission’s commitment to ensuring free and fair elections in the upcoming December 7, 2024 elections, Dr. Asare noted that the EC has employed Collating Officers with backgrounds in statistics and mathematics. Their task is to help collate results from the constituency, regional, and national levels to ensure accurate result collation and ease the workload of returning officers and technicians.
He expressed hope that with this new feature, the Commission will once again conduct free, fair, and peaceful elections this year.
The Executive Director of GII, Mrs. Mary Awelana Addah, stated that the forum’s purpose is to set the agenda for policy changes regarding the abuse of incumbency, the use of state resources, vote buying, campaign financing, and corruption in general. She called on all to join the fight to stop monetization in elections in Ghana.
By: Margaret Esaah Boakye
