2020 Election was free and fair - UG Researcher

A Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon, Dr Isaac Owusu Mensah, has opined that the 2020 elections was free and fair as promised by the Electoral Commission.

He rated the EC’s work done over 80 per cent, saying, "The whole process was free and fair. All the processes were fair because all political parties were involved at all times by the EC. And So far, no issues of over voting has come up."

As someone who has voted since 1992, he noticed that for the 2020 election, the time spent at polling stations was limited, commending the EC for reducing the number of time usually spent in the voting process.

However, speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie, with Nana Owusu Nkrumah, Dr Owusu Mensah said the time spent at collation centre was too long, calling for a reform in the process of collation after voting.

“Someone can wake up at 5 am. and go to the polling station, finish voting and counting at about 7 p.m. and then go to the collation centre. someone can go to a collation centre at 7 and will sit there till its about 3 a.m. before he or she will be asked to bring their results which does not help,’ he said.

Dr Owusu Mensah also noticed that when political parties have their pink sheets, they leave the EC officials on their own to continue their work at the collation centres.

He recalled certain instances where some presiding officers had to carry ballot papers on their head and on foots, calling on the EC to address such instances moving forward.

Apart from that, he said the election was well conducted, adding that the election process makes it easier and transparent.

Dr Owusu Mensa urged all political parties to have collation centres so that they can collate the results brought to them by the agents.