Mrs. Jean Adukwei Mensa, the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), has remarked that the recent bye-elections in the Kumawu and Assin North seats should serve as a wakeup call for political parties to desist from defaming the election management body when the results of the polls do not go in their favor.
She stated that this should be a wakeup call for political parties.
According to her, the results of the two byelections unequivocally demonstrated the inherent openness, resilience, and integrity of the systems that the commission put in place in preparation for the elections in 2020.
Mrs. Mensa, who made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, said that even if during general elections people did not have the opportunity to scrutinise the systems, it was better that they concentrated on polling stations and acknowledged the work of the EC. She made the statement.
Jean Mensa Reacts to the Assin North Election; Warn NPP, NDC
Everything was completed at the polling location, just as it had been during the general election.
“Therefore, such allegations that somebody is sitting at the EC headquarters in Accra to manipulate figures to favour one party over the others in order to win the election must come to an end.
“The credibility and transparency of the elections are out in the open for all to see, including party agents,” she continued. “The full glare of the spotlight is on them.”
According to Mrs. Mensa, the polling places in Kumawu and Assin North stood out for their orderly conduct, early starts in each polling place, and the presence of skilled and knowledgeable staff at the polls by 7 a.m.
Jean Mensa went on to say that the EC employed its reliable verification equipment to ensure that all voters were confirmed and that the effectiveness of the Biometric Verification Devices (BVD) ensured rapid verification of voters, which avoided the need for long lines of people waiting to be validated.
Jean Mensa went on to explain that by one o’clock in the afternoon on the day of the election, the majority of polling stations had registered a turnout of sixty percent, while the processes of collation were open, transparent, and completed on time. She concluded that “all in all, the process was credible, fair, and transparent.”
“Everything that took place at the polling stations, including the setting up of the polling stations, the layout of polling materials, the voting, the arrangement of ballots to be counted, and the declaration that was made at the polling station, was done in full view of the public, which included observers.
“We call on the stakeholders to accept the results and not bastardise the elections management body because the processes are transparent and credible,” the statement continued. “When it did not go in their favour, we called on them to accept the results.”
She emphasised that “if you win, you do that fair and square; and if you lose, you do that fair and square.”