EC will demystify 'Strong Room' - Afari Gyan

Ho, June. 22, GNA - The Electoral Commission (EC) is taking steps to demystify its “Operations Room” also known as the “Strong Room”, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Commission said on Friday.

This, he said, was to correct wrong impressions about activities done in the room and deepen the understanding and strength of the country's electoral system.

The EC boss was addressing a capacity building workshop organized by the Commission in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID) and KAB Governance Consult (KGC) for political parties in the Volta Region at Ho.

It was held on the theme, “The Inbuilt integrity of Ghana's Electoral Process.”

Dr. Afari Gyan said it was important that key players in the political process got to know the strength of the country's electoral system so they could discard certain rumours and trust the system.

“There are several rumours and we need to make people understand that we do not do surgical operations in our operations room and that no one can manipulate figures in the IT room,” he said.

Dr. Afari Gyan said consequently the EC would organize a tour of its offices, especially the operations room and the IT offices for executives of all political parties to bring them abreast with activities of officials there.

Dr. Afari Gyan emphasized the importance of polling agents, saying that their presence at the polling stations added to the integrity of polls.

He said everyone needed some voter education and advised political parties to educate the electorate on voting procedures and the dos and don'ts of elections.

Dr. Afari Gyan also reminded political parties on their rights and obligations towards enhancing the credibility and integrity of elections.

GNA