Election2000: Foreign institutions quite on observing elections

The Electoral Commission (EC) said on Thursday that no foreign organisation has so far applied for accreditation to observe the December elections. "It is, however, expected that as the Election Day draws near some foreign organisations would come forward for accreditation," Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Commission said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

Seven foreign organisations, comprising the Commonwealth, European Union, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, Organisation of African Unity, the United Nations, UNDP and Electa observed the 1996 elections.

Dr Afari-Gyan said ten local organisations have applied for accreditation and are currently engaged in recruiting and training of personnel, adding that other interested organisations could still apply if they can train their personnel.

Dr Afari-Gyan said the commission is ready to assist groups interested in observing the elections with materials for the purpose. He said as a policy, election observers sign an undertaking that they would abide by the laws, regulations and code of conduct governing the elections.

"No observer shall be allowed access to any polling station or constituency centre unless he or she is wearing the official identification issued by the commission. An observer shall not offer advice or give direction to or in any way interfere with an election official in the performance of his or her election duties," he explained.

Dr Afari-Gyan said the presence of competent observers at elections is generally healthy in assessing the level of acceptability of results. He said in 1996 two local groups, Ghanalert and the Network of Domestic Election Observers (NEDEO) obtained observer status for the elections.

NEDEO is a grouping of religious bodies, the Ghana Journalists Association, National Union of Ghana Students, Trade Union Congress, the Ghana Legal Literacy and Resource Foundation and the Ghana Civic Coalition.

Embassies accredited to observe the elections in 1996 were British and Canadian High Commissions, Danish, French, Italian, Japanese, Malian, the Netherlands, US, Spanish and Swiss embassies.

Other organisations accredited were the Danish Agency for International Development (DANIDA), Friedrich Ebert Foundations (FES) and the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES).