[ad_1]
CDD-Ghana Research Director Daniel Armah Attoh has advised the Electoral Commission (EC) to engage in confidence-building activities to restore public confidence ahead of the December 2020 general elections.
His comment comes from a recent survey by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development that a certain percentage of the general public cares about the vote count and the process of transmitting results.
“Serious concerns remain about the integrity of the vote count and the results transmission process.
“A large minority, more than 4 in 10, express concern about the announcement of an incorrect vote count, and about a third do not trust that their vote will be counted,” the report says.
However, during a discussion with JoyNews’ Samson Lardy Anyenini on ‘Newsfile’ on Saturday, Attoh said sentiments depend on the integrity and competence of the Election Commission.
Consequently, he cautioned that public education and security are crucial to building trust in Ghana’s electoral process.
“The EC needs to do a lot of education because if it does not, and at the end of the elections, people think that their fears could have manifested, it will again affect their own integrity and level of trust, as well as the peace that we are expected to enjoy. as a country, “he said.
For his part, CDD-Ghana Director of Advocacy and Policy Engagement, Dr. Kojo Pumpuni Asante, also a panelist for the program, explained that an understanding of electoral procedures will help reduce public fear of dubious results.
“The process of collation, transmission and announcement of results must be very clear, particularly now that a regional collation process is being added, so that the citizen understands that once they have finished voting at the voting table, these are the mechanisms in place to ensure that what is claimed is credible, ”he said.
He implored the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Coalition of National Election Observers (CODEO) to assist in the public education process.
Mr. Pumpuni added that the public’s trust in the EC is based on his experiences with the activities of the Commission.
According to him, public confidence in the EC is a consequential effect of the Commission’s ability to carry out its functions effectively.
