Brief media on progress towards polls – IDEG to EC

The Institute of Democratic Governance has asked the Electoral Commission (EC) to regularly update the media about its activities in the run up to the 2016 elections.

The EC has come under intense pressure to respond to certain key issues including the role of Superlock Technologies Limited in the transmission of election results.

Opposition parties and pressure groups have also previously mounted pressure on the election management body to compile a new voter’s register, while there is currently a call for it to carry out a validation exercise of the electoral roll.

IDEG said it believes the commission needs to change its approach to providing information to the public through the media in order to minimise the tensions that have characterised this year’s election process.

Senior research fellow at IDEG, Kwesi Jonah, who spoke to Class News said: “In view of the various tensions that are building up around the voter’s register, limited voter registration, and so on and so forth, the Electoral Commission should change strategy.

“Instead of waiting for the media to come and ask them questions, they should do for the media what they are doing for IPAC – regular meetings, whether it is monthly [or] fortnightly – and, especially after every IPAC meeting, immediately brief the media about what has transpired at IPAC, so that the media always have constant information and also [that] they don’t take it from secondary and tertiary sources [as] there’s likely to be distortion of the truth.

“So, they cannot deal with the media the way they have dealt in the past. This is an election year, which is filled with a lot of tension. Just do some kind of arrangement with the media, give them constant regular briefing about what you are doing, what you are not doing, what you have not been able to do and why. The approach for this particular election should be different and if it is different, it will help in a very peaceful election year.”