Ghana’s electoral system does not support rigging – Atebubu EC

The Atebubu-Amantin municipal electoral officer of the Electoral Commission of Ghana Mr. Kenneth Opoku has said the country’s electoral system does not support rigging for either a political party or a candidate.

Mr. Opoku was contributing to discussions on electoral violence and its impact on peace and development as part of a series of engagements by the National Commission For Civic Education NCCE in collaboration with the National Security Ministry with support from the European Union with the objective of sensitizing stakeholders on Peace Building and Community Based Mechanism for Countering Violent Extremism.

Under the theme: Empowering Ghanaians to stand for National Cohesion and Inclusive Participation the meeting involved the Atebubu-Amantin municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee.

Mr. Opoku said the assertion that the EC is always in bed with an incumbent government has become a ready excuse for defeat at elections especially on the part of losing opposition parties a phenomenon at the heart of electoral violence.

He debunked the notion by taking the gathering through the various electoral processes and said each stage from the printing of ballots papers through to their dispatch to the various polling centers on election day are done with the active involvement of political parties and security agencies adding that the same applies to the so-called ‘strong room’.

He admonished political parties to recruit agents who are up to the task so nothing untoward happens at the polling centers since officials engaged to man these centers are normally not employees of the Commission saying some of these people may have some hidden agendas.

The Bono East regional director of the NCCE Mr. Joseph Kwaku Yeboah took the meeting through the Public Order Act 491 of 1994, the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act 999 of 2019, Alternative Dispute Resolution ADR and activities of secessionist groups in Ghana.

The Atebubu-Amantin municipal director of the Commission Mr. Patrick Tampugre hoped participants will engage their larger membership on the issues discussed to help meet the objectives of the exercise.

A film show on election-related violence and its effects preceded the presentations.

Participants included representatives of political parties, traditional authorities, faith-based organizations, heads of departments, women and youth groups, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).