Managing editor of the Insight Newspaper Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has expressed strong reservations about the credibility of Ghana’s recent electoral process, describing it as marred by numerous difficulties.
Making an appearance on Dr. Randy Abbey’s last episode as Good Morning Ghana host, Kwesi Pratt said It would be “exceedingly naive” for anybody to conclude that “this process has been smooth,”
“It’s not been smooth, it has had many difficulties,” he exclaimed.
One of the major concerns Mr. Pratt raised was the credibility and integrity of the Electoral Commission.
He cited biased statements from some Electoral Commission members, including a commissioner who publicly stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) threatened Ghana’s democratic order.
“If a commissioner saw a participant in the contest as a threat to the democratic order, it follows that you also do everything possible… to prevent this danger to the democratic order from ever assuming power,” Pratt noted.
Mr. Pratt also criticized the appointment of Dr. Peter Appiahene, a known member of the New Patriotic Party, to the Electoral Commission.
He described this move as “blatantly discriminatory” and wondered why someone with openly partisan views would be appointed to a body expected to remain impartial.
“I have seen videos of this gentleman actually flaunting his membership of the New Patriotic Party and making statements to the effect that he would do everything possible… to ensure the victory of the New Patriotic Party,” Mr. Pratt said.
“So I was wondering why such a person would be appointed onto a commission which is expected to be fair, organize free and transparent elections, and so on.”
Furthermore, the seasoned journalist expressed dissatisfaction with the current Electoral Commission and its worrying history, citing instances in the 2020 general elections where results were declared multiple times and, in one case, exceeded hundred percent.
The Editor-In-Chief of the Insight Newspaper noted that some constituency parliamentary results are still in dispute a month after the election.
“We are talking about an electoral commission that organizes an election and actually had to declare results more than three times… and in one instance, the results declared exceeded 100%,” Mr. Pratt said.
“It’s unbelievable that these things have happened, and this speaks largely to the competence of the electoral commission.”
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