The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has reminded Ghanaians that only the Electoral Commission
(EC) has the constitutional mandate to announce the outcome of the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary
Elections.
Madam Cynthia Anima Boadu, the Bono Regional Director of the NCCE who gave the reminder, called on all
election stakeholders, particularly the media and the various political parties, to avoid any temptation of declaring or
announcing winners of both the presidential and parliamentary polls in December.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, Madam Boadu said: “all election stakeholders must be
patient and endeavour to wait until the EC announce the outcome of the general election,” adding, any “false alarm
can create tensions and escalate into election violence that will disturb the peace of the nation.”
Madam Boadu said: “no political party, media or entity has the right to declare who wins or loses the elections
except the EC” and advised the media to remain watchful and stand against such pronouncement.
She explained that voting remained a civic right and called on the security agencies to remain professional on
election day in order not to intimidate or disenfranchise eligible voters.
Madam Boadu reminded the security agencies that it was their responsibility to protect the electorate and the
electoral materials, but not to dictate for the EC officials.
In another interview, Mr Vincent Missah Akwei, a Civic Education Officer of the Commission, advised the
electorate to remain disciplined when they go to polls.
The Daily Searchlight would be quick to add the above, that the declaration of results that emerge out of the EC
should not come to the voters as a surprise. Whilst the EC has the mandate to officialy declare results, it has long
ben the tradition for some entities, such as the media, to ‘call’ elecetion results. Where te official results tally with
credible ‘calls’, people begin to develop greater faith in elections and the EC. Where the EC’s final declared results
tend to surprise and dismay expected positions already in the public mind,. the credibility of the whole exercise is
undermined.
We call on the EC to put in place the necessary transparent measures that would ensure that the public are able to
properly track e;ection results, so that results that are finally declared would not come as a surprise.
The EC should not behave as some kind of San·he·drin, hiding in a dark room only to emerge with results like
magic. Creating a credible election, is a mutual exercise.
(Editorial of the Daily Searchlight of 9 th October, 2024).
