‘Don’t demonise EC’

Political scientist Dr Evans Aggrey Darko has called for caution in criticising the work of the Electoral Commission (EC).

The EC has come under scrutiny in recent times over the composition of an 18-member election steering committee meant to help the election management body conduct smooth elections in November.

The opposition NPP accused the EC of bias for empanelling members it believed were affiliated to the governing party on the steering committee.

There were widespread media reports that the EC’s election steering committee had been dissolved but its Public Affairs Director issued a statement to the contrary.

Speaking on the Executive Breakfast Show Monday February 22, Dr Aggrey Darko told host Ekow Mensah-Shalders that support of the EC was key to the growth of the electoral body.

“We need to be careful not to demonise the very institution we have put in place. If we denigrate the institution and if we don’t support the institution to grow, then it’s a wasted effort. That is not to suggest at all that if the institutions are perhaps underperforming, we should not interrogate them.”