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Professor Ransford Gyampo, Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Ghana, has advocated for building trust between the Electoral Commission (EC) and the public as part of efforts to strengthen Ghana’s democracy.
According to him, the result of the 2020 general elections and the Presidential Election Petition had deepened the already existing deficit of confidence of the EC on the part of the citizenry.
Professor Gyampo said this at a Virtual Public Forum, hosted by Progressive Intellectuals on Ghana’s 2020 Presidential Election Petition.
Speaking on the topic: “The 2020 Election Petition and the Future of the Ghana Election Commission”, Professor Gyampo spoke of the many mistakes the EC made in declaring the presidential results and correcting them, without allowing key stakeholders to benefit. From an internal explanation, it allegedly raised trust issues.
He said he hoped that the Court, in its final ruling, would make some recommendations for the EC to undertake some electoral reforms.
Professor Gyampo said that the EC alone could also take certain steps to undergo electoral reforms.
“… From what happened, I can say that the Commission would continue to suffer from confidence deficits not only from the opposition Party but possibly from civil society organizations, the public and even the current ruling party.
“Given our recent history of the removal of the former EC president and her deputies for various reasons …, a greater deficit of confidence in the Commission, it goes without saying, could disrupt the security of tenure of their current bosses. that, in my opinion, would undermine continuity and the quest to build strong and independent institutions, ”he added.
