The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the Electoral Commission (EC) of breaching electoral laws ahead of the Parliamentary by-election in Talensi. According to the NPP, the EC has rebuffed several requests from the party for a list of the names of the EC officials who will preside over the elections. Regulation 17 (9) of C.I. 75 stipulates that “an objection raised against the appointment of an election official shall not be entertained if the objection is made within seven days to an election.”
Per the regulation, the party will be unable to raise any objections about any appointments made by the EC for the election on Tuesday, a fact which has not gone down too well with the NPP.
In a statement released by the party on Saturday and read by the first Vice Chairman, Freddy Blay, the NPP expressed dismay over the delay by the EC in releasing the names of the officials.
“Today is July 4, three days before polling day and yet the list of election officials have not been made public. It remains a heavily guarded state secret. Moreover, even if it is made public immediately after this news conference, no party or person will be entitled to object to any of the names, even if it becomes established that such and such persons are known card-bearing members of a political party,” the statement said.
The NPP alleged that prior to the 2012 general elections “the EC took a strange decision to move away from its usual practice of recruiting mainly teachers as temporary election officers for polling day. Instead, they were allegations of known cadres and sympathizers of the NDC handpicked to serve as election officials.”
The party believes that the delay is a ploy by the NDC and the EC to “unlawfully favour the ruling party.”
“We wish to use this platform to send a strong message out there that the NPP does not intend to be bitten again and that we will protect the mandate of the people diligently.
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