Group demand resignation of EC chair over 'flawed' elections

A group calling itself the Democratic Credentials Network Ghana (DCN Ghana) and its collaborators are calling for the resignation of the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa.

The EC boss has come under intense criticisms following her declaration of President Akufo-Addo as the president-elect of the just end of the December 7 polls.

While many accuse her of conniving with the ruling government to rig the election in favour of the sitting president, others have commended the EC for organizing one of the peaceful and most organized elections in the country’s history.

The Democratic Credentials Network Ghana and its collaborators have through a statement condemned what they say is the wrong 2020 presidential election results declared by Mrs. Jean Mensa.

The group insists “Ghana’s Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Jean Mensah must honorably resign or get fired by the people’s anger for the falsification of 2020 election results.”

The Democratic Credentials Network Ghana and its collaborators while describing the opaque nature of the collation, the change of certified figures on EC’s official website, and the declaration of 13, 433,573 valid votes cast instead of the 13,119, 460, in the presidential elections as very fraudulent and unacceptable.

The group urged all aggrieved parties to utilize the available legitimate means to get justice rather than public incitation.

Below is the full press release from DCN Ghana:

15th December, 2020

PRESS STATEMENT

For Immediate Release

Ghana’s Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Jean Mensah must honorably resign or get fired by the people’s anger for the falsification of 2020 election results.

The Democratic Credentials Network Ghana (DCN Ghana) and its collaborators including Community Focus Foundation Ghana (CFF-GH), and the Grassroots Mobilizers Network (GMN) condemn in no uncertain terms the wrong 2020 presidential election results declared on Wednesday, 9th December, 2020 by Mrs. Jean Mensah, the Electoral Commissioner.

As you may be aware, prior to this year’s Ghanaian general elections, some section of Ghanaian people including election management experts, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), political actors, and governance experts among others have raised several concerns regarding the capacity and credibility of the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct free and fair elections in 2020 due to certain decisions they claimed were unilaterally taken by the Commission without engaged participation of key stakeholders. For instance, the EC has been accused of blatantly sidelining the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), which is a special platform for knowledge sharing and consensus building among political parties and this raised suspicions among some of the political stakeholders. Though the said claims by the stakeholders were flatly dismissed by the EC, the unfortunate declaration of wrong presidential election results as admitted by the EC itself and the opaque nature of collation as identified by the EU Observer Mission in the just ended general elections lay credence to the doubt expressed explicitly by majority of the electorates as to how neutral the EC could be to freely and fairly conduct the critical general elections of 2020.

For the records, it is instructive to note that we live in times shaped by the conviction that periodic ‘free and fair’ elections are the heart and soul of a democracy. Article 21 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in December 1948, famously set the standard that: ‘The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage’

We consider the opaque nature of the collation, the change of certified figures on EC’s official website and the declaration of 13, 433,573 valid votes cast INSTEAD of the 13,119, 460, in the presidential elections very fraudulent and unacceptable. The EC did not in any away helped Ghana in consolidating her democratic gains. We believe strongly that if the Commission had lived beyond reproach, unnecessary tension and the post-election protests could have been avoided.

As organizations working to defend the democracy of Ghana, and in the spirit of fair play and accountable governance, we are by this release calling on Mrs. Jean Mensah to honorably resign her position as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission to appease Ghanaians whose votes were subverted by her negligence.

For the aggrieved parties, we urge you to fully utilize the available legitimate means to get justice rather than public incitation.

Signed by the under listed CSOs:

1. Democratic Credentials Network Ghana (DCN-GH).

2. Community Focus Foundation Ghana (CFF-Ghana).

3. Grassroots Mobilizers Network.

For Interviews Contact:

-0553943209-English, Ga &Twi

-0243276906-English

0248144469-English & Ewe