Polling station results must be gazetted within 14 days - NPP

The main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is proposing that polling station results be published and gazetted within fourteen days after national elections.

Additionally, the party wants results to “be delivered to and inspected by Returning Officers in the Parliamentary elections”.

In a 30-page electoral reform document to the Electoral Commission intercepted by StarrFMonline.com, the party also proposed that “constituency collation forms should be in multiples and copies should be given out to Agents of the candidates and one posted conspicuously at the constituency collation centre”.

Below are some of the proposals being made by the NPP

•The polling station results must be delivered to and inspected by Returning Officers in the Parliamentary election. In case of the Presidential, this should be delivered to the EC Chairman who acts as Returning Officer.

•All polling station results should be published and gazetted within fourteen (14) days after Election Day. A law should be promulgated to that effect.

•After the collation and declaration of results, the Returning Officer at the constituency collation centre should put in the tamper evident envelopes, the original copies of the pink sheets and collation sheets of the Presidential election and send same to the national Returning Officer in Accra.

The national Returning Officer should then deposit the original copies at the Supreme Court registry and take a receipt for it 72 hours after declaration. In the case of the challenge of results, this will satisfy the best evidence rule.