Afari-Gyan submits Supreme Court recommendations to parliament

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, has submitted to Parliament a document containing recommendations from Supreme Court judges who sat on the 2012 election petition.

The recommendations were in relation to some structural and administrative reforms that needed to be carried out by the E.C. in order to improve upon the country’s electoral system.

The E.C. boss presented the document when he met a parliamentary committee at a closed door sitting yesterday.

The purpose of the meeting was to brief the committee on efforts the E.C. was making to whip up public confidence in the country’s electoral system.

Although the outcome of the meeting was not officially made public, a source said the EC boss answered questions relating to the issues that popped up at the Supreme Court hearing last year, as well as the District Assemblies Elections and Referendum on the Constitutional Amendment.

Dr. Afari-Gyan told the lawmakers that his outfit would depend on laws enacted by Parliament and agreed upon by the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) for the 2016 elections.

With the administrative measures, the E.C. boss said the Commission would rely on three recommendations by Mr. Justice Dotse and six recommendations by Mr. Justice Atuguba in their verdict on the 2012 election petition.

On the District and Local Assemblies Elections, he noted that the EC had up to April next year to conduct the elections, and assured Parliament that the commission would organize the elections and the referendum before April.

The EC boss told the House that he would bring his tenure as the Chairman of the Commission to an end next year.

Dr. Afari-Gyan will turn 70 next year.