Convene Stakeholders Meeting to Resolve Gaps and Errors in Dec.7 Polls – CSOs to EC

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Ghana have called on the Electoral Commission to convene a meeting of all stakeholders to the election to brainstorm and find permanent solutions to the gaps and errors that have emerged during the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary elections and use the same forum to update existing electoral laws, policies and procedures with agreed recommendations to prevent a future re-occurrence of such challenges.

A statement issued Tuesday, December 15, 2020, by the sixteen CSOs also urged that any disagreements with the outcome of the election results as declared and gazetted should be resolved using the laid down procedures outlined by law and providing the relevant supporting documentation.

The CSOs condemned all acts of violence and recommend that the Security Services immediately launch Investigations into all reported crimes during the electoral process and in particular prosecute perpetrators involved in the recorded pockets of violence which have led to various injuries and deaths.

The Electoral Commission on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, declared the incumbent President of Nana Akufo-Addo the winner of the country’s presidential election.

The 76-year-old Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) beat his opponent and predecessor John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) with controversial 51.59% of the votes.

The EC later admitted to making mistakes in the computation of the results but claimed it does not affect the outcome.

This claim has however been challenged as calculations point to variation in the figures using the new figures presented by EC.

The Opposition Party has therefore rejected the results citing flaws and fraud. This is heightening tension in the country.

In the Statement issued, the CSOs “remind the leaders of the two (2) major political parties to respect and fulfill the pledges they signed in the Presidential Election Peace Pact, which includes not just a commitment to promoting peaceful elections but also a pledge to resort to judicial resolutions to address all election disputes”

They encourage political parties to tell their members to refrain from any violence, to stay calm, and to follow the laid down procedures provided to challenge election results.

The statement by the CSOs was a singer by the underlisted Organizations;

1. Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC)

2. Citizens Movement against Corruption (CMaC)

3. IMANI-Ghana

4. Penplusbytes

5. Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP)

6. Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII)

7. Media Foundation for West Africa

8. SEND Ghana

9. Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA)

10. Renel Ghana Foundation (RGF)

11. CFF-Ghana