Election 2016: PPP calls for independent auditors during polls

The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is demanding that the Electoral Commission (EC) assigns only independent auditors to monitor the electronic transmission of this year’s general election results.

The electronic transmission of the results will be implemented in November when Ghanaians go to the polls to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates.

The PPP believes assigning independent auditors to the task will ensure transparency and credibility in the polls.

The party’s Chairman, Allotey Brew Hammond, during a press conference in Accra, Tuesday said “We cannot leave this exercise to any chance for a possible manipulation of the ICT infrastructure."

Hammond said, “We therefore call on the EC to invite at least two auditing firms to be part of the process from the very beginning.”

The party proposed that the two independent auditing firms be given full access to the EC's IT platforms as well as the coding systems for an effective audit of the transmitted results.

The auditing firms should be able to audit the results independently and be given the opportunity to cross-check each other’s work.

Voters Register's Saga
The PPP has called on the EC to take immediate steps to clean the register before the November polls.

According to the party, about 600,000 names of persons on the voters register are dead, hence, the register in its current state cannot be used for the elections.

“If the system instituted by the EC for relatives of dead people to come forward and assist the EC is not effective, the option is not for the EC to leave these names on the register for some political parties to take advantage of this huge number and inflate their votes," Mr. Hammond said.

He added that “The EC should devise a more effective means to remove the names of dead persons from the register.”

Allotey Brew Hammond also dismissed claims that it will not be contesting the 2016 general elections saying, “all these contemptible maneuverings are orchestrated by opponents who see a PPP-led victory in the 2016 elections."