The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan says his outfit is not under any obligation to adopt the electoral reform proposals submitted to it by the Electoral Reform Committee.
“Let me emphasize that these are proposals of the committee –the ultimate authority is the Electoral Commission,” he stated, assuring that the “commission would not hesitate to adopt recommendations which can work.”
The EC, he noted, would seriously study the report of the Electoral Reform Committee and then inform the public of what the EC thinks about it.
The EC, Dr. Afari Gyan argued, would not jump around the place effecting electoral reform without reasoning through the proposals of the Committee carefully.
He said this last Friday when the Electoral Reform Committee submitted its final report to the EC for scrutiny and possible adoption.
He expressed optimism that the EC would adopt the recommendations made by the committee saying: “I am quite sure given the membership of the committee and the level headedness displayed during the committee’s work, we may have a very easy task.”
Supreme Court didn’t order EC
Responding to the allegations that the EC had refused to abide by the Supreme Court’s (SC) order to set up Electoral Reform Committee, Dr. Afari Gyan said the SC didn’t order the EC to do anything.
According to him, the SC only made recommendations that the EC should embark on some electoral reforms and that the suggestion was not an order.
Last Friday, the ten member committee instituted by the EC to examine recommendations intended at modifying existing electoral laws and regulations –including administrative structures, ahead of the 2016 poll, submitted its report to the EC.
“There are people who keep on saying the Electoral Commission has not been serious. Electoral reforms are not done in one day; it requires very high thinking because you have to do it within the context of the entire framework. It is also not done by one person, you have to collaborate with various stakeholders to build consensus on what is required,” Dr. Afari Gyan submitted.
He continued that: “Some people have been saying the EC refused to act on the recommendations of the Supreme Court. I am happy that they talk about recommendations – because the Supreme Court didn’t issue any orders for electoral reform.
“Some of them [Judges] made recommendations for electoral reform and those recommendations have been taken on board as recommendations made by the various stakeholders.
“The recommendations were not orders that were issued to the Electoral Commission. I’ve said and I will say again that court adjudicates conflicts over elections, they do not run elections. It’s the duty of the EC to run election.
“Electoral reforms are not done in one day. It requires very high thinking because you have to do it within the context of the entire framework,” Dr. Afari Gyan added.
The EC after the 2012 Election petition instituted an Electoral Reform Committee to examine recommendations intended at modifying existing electoral laws and regulations –including administrative structures ahead of the 2016 poll submitted its report to the EC.
Submitting the forty-five paged report to the EC, The Chairman of the committee, Ms Georgina Opoku Amankwah said the body was made up of the members of the EC, the political parties and civil society.
She said the committee considered challenges around pre-election, election and post election and other nagging issues even though they weren’t part of the committee’s mandate.
Ms Opoku Amankwa, who is also a Deputy Chairman of the EC, in charge of finance, expressed optimism that the committee’s work would bring about sanity in Ghana’s electoral process henceforth should its recommendations be adopted by the EC.
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