FORMER Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has urged the commission to build consensus on the electoral process with all stakeholders, including the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), to gain the trust of the people.
He said it would ensure transparency and also reduce suspicion and mistrust at every step of the process.
He also emphasized the need for the EC to be flexible in implementing electoral rules and regulations, without bending them.
He said the commission should work with security agencies and experts to analyze and identify groups and areas prone to violence during the election.
Dr. Afari-Gyan spoke at the ‘Peace Lecture’ organized by the West Accra Rotary Club in Accra last Wednesday.
This is the seventh in a series by the Rotary Club that aims to promote peace and deep democracy in the country.
The longest serving Chairman of the Electoral Body spoke on the topic: “Elections and conflicts in emerging democracies”.
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Dr. Afari-Gyan encouraged voters not to entertain calls for annulment of votes in election decisions.
According to him, the annulment of results is not the right remedy in electoral disputes and said that the court’s decision could harm the peace of the country.
The former EC Chairman said that the court is the right place to resolve electoral disputes, but it is a human institution and may not be able to properly decide on electoral disputes, as judges may interpret the same law differently.
“In my view, the principle shows that valid voting is like a sacred cow and cannot be discarded because of the virtue of the voter and therefore, the sanctity of voting cannot be discarded,” he said.
“If this interpretation is correct, then it is not right for the court to annul the votes that should have been cast in the election and then announce the winner if there is a mathematical possibility that the annulled vote could have made a difference,” he said.
Dr. Afari-Gyan said that while the courts have become the last resort to resolve political and electoral disputes in emerging democracies, it is important that the courts pay due attention to the principle of electoral justice of the primacy, as well as the sanctity, of voters.
He also said the increasing number of election-related disputes going to court could lead to “a phenomenon known as bench packing, which can also be a form of vote buying”.
He called on all stakeholders in the electoral process to abide by the laws of the land to ensure a successful election.
“Let us do what is right, so that election day does not look like a battlefield,” he said.
Cause a dispute
Dr Afari-Gyan cited demarcation of districts and constituencies, lack of understanding of some aspects of the electoral process, use of thugs, unclean campaigning practices and abuse of office as some of the causes of conflict in elections.
He said that while it is not possible to prevent electoral conflicts, certain measures can be taken to reduce violence.
The Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Mary Chinery-Hesse, who presided over the event, said more than 70 million people have been displaced by conflict, violence and human rights violations, half of them children.
Conflicts in contemporary democracies are now centered on political, ethnic and religious differences, he said, noting that there are dire economic consequences.
“We generally use our reliance on elections to legitimize government at the national level through the ballot box,” he added.
According to Mrs. Chinery-Hesse, electoral conflicts are part of human nature and therefore, electoral monitoring bodies should be allowed to enjoy their mandate of autonomy to build public confidence in the electoral process.
Note
The President of the Rotary Club of Accra West, Prince Accuaku, said the club is using the concept of peace with greater cohesion and inclusiveness to encourage people to participate in the peace building process.
He said the Peace Fellowship club, which started in 2002, has trained more than 1,500 friends who are now working in more than 115 countries.
Mr. Ackuaku added that there are seven Rotary Peace Centers around the world, where 1,300 members have been trained to be effective catalysts for peace through careers in government, education and international organizations.
“Peace building is the development of constructive personal group and political relations across ethnic, religious, class, national and racial boundaries.
“Peace-building includes conflict prevention and management, conflict resolution and transformation and post-conflict reconciliation,” he said.
Source: graphiconline.com
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