John Mahama, the president-elect, has urged the Electoral Commission (EC) to resolve disagreements regarding the outcomes of the parliamentary election in nine constituencies in a fair and transparent manner.
Speaking on the subject, Mr. Mahama emphasized the need of consistency in the EC's operations and urged the commission to follow accepted guidelines rather than changing protocols to suit particular circumstances.

There aren't many unresolved concerns from the election. Nine constituencies are up for debate, as you are aware, and we believe the Electoral Commission need to act morally. "You can't apply different rules in different situations and change the rules when it suits you," he said.

Mr. Mahama emphasized the necessity for a consistent strategy by citing precedents from the 2020 elections. He brought up the Techiman South instance, pointing out that despite a declaration being made in a chaotic setting with armed troops present, the EC maintained that complaints should be settled in court rather than by recollection.

In 2020, there was a specific situation in which the Electoral Commission made it clear that it was not their responsibility to decide whether a declaration had been made.

"The courts were the appropriate venue. Therefore, it makes no difference what the circumstances are if a declaration has been made.Under duress, they are saying that somewhere. It was under duress in the Techiman South case.

The collation room had soldiers. When the declaration was made, the collation room was in disarray, and the same arguments were made that a re-collection was necessary. The Electoral Commission rejected these claims. Once a declaration has been made, there can be no recollection," he recalled.

Mr. Mahama urged the EC to follow its history by sending complaints about announced results to the courts, arguing that the same criteria ought to apply to the ongoing issues.

In these situations, statements have been made. People must take their complaints to the courts and have them addressed there. We don't believe that the objective should be changed based on who is in control," he continued.

He did, however, admit one rare instance in which no declaration was made, implying that the EC would have to decide on the best course of action in that circumstance, which would involve a repeat.

The president-elect called on the EC to settle the disagreements quickly in order to clarify the election's ultimate result, citing expediency, fairness, and justice.

"We believe that everything we do must be just and equitable. Therefore, we are concerned that those matters will be settled as soon as possible so that we can determine the election's ultimate result," he said.


Source: InsiderGH