EC throws light on work of strong room

Sunyani, June 23, GNA – Mr Ebenezer Aggrey-Fynn, Member of the Electoral Commission (EC) responsible for Brong-Ahafo Region has explained that the Commission does not use its operations room to manipulate election results in favour of any particular political party.

He stressed the EC's operations room was not a strange place with any specific function apart from the collection and collation of election results from various constituencies and regions for declaration in the presence of political parties' representatives.

Mr Aggrey-Fynn made the clarification in response to public reception about underhand dealings at the operation room, during a media interaction in Sunyani as part of a day's capacity building workshop for the political parties'representatives in Brong Ahafo Region.

The workshop was attended by 60 participants including civil society activists and non-governmental organisations.

It was organised by the Commission in collaboration with the Department of Foreign and International Development of the United Kingdom and the KAB Governance Consult.

The political parties included National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, Convention People's Party, Democratic Peoples' Party, People's Progressive Party, People's National Convention and Great Consolidated Popular Party.

The workshop treated topics like the rights and obligations of Political Parties and EC-Political Party Relations, the In-built Integrity of Ghana's Electoral System and Importance of Polling Agents as part of the EC's outreach programme on voter education.

Mr Aggrey-Fynn emphasised that declaration of certified election results was the prerogative of the Commission and therefore urged the media to exercise caution by not calling results before the final official announcement by the EC.

He expressed the hope the Commissions engagement with party executives would help deepen their understanding of the electoral system, create mutual appreciation of the basis of the relationship between the EC and the political parties.

Mr George Gyabaah, Regional Director of the Commission observed that due to misconception about elections, there was the need for engagement between the EC and political parties since “if party leaders and entire populace understand the rules and regulations governing the conduct of elections, it becomes easier for the losing party/candidate to accept the results of the election”.

GNA