EC Cautioned Over New Constituencies

A group photograph of the speakers and participants at the convention

Civil society groups have cautioned that the Electoral Commission (EC's) alleged hasty decision to increase Ghana's constituencies from 230 to 275 can lead to chaos and conflicts during the 2012 general elections.

While commending the EC's efforts in facilitating peaceful elections in the country since 1992, the group warned that the current plan by the EC to increase the country's constituencies could cause harm to Ghana's democracy.

They therefore called on the EC not to go ahead with the creation of the 45 additional constituencies since the decision could put the peace of the whole country in jeopardy.

According to the group, since the decision to create 45 new constituencies by the EC had generated widespread controversy all over the country, with some legal attempts to block it, the decision should be abandoned for the sake of peace.

Kwesi Jonah, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance, stated these at a one-day Media-For-Democracy Convention on the 2012 elections, held in Takoradi last Thursday.

The well-attended convention was on the team 'Towards Free, Fair And Peaceful Elections: The Role Of The Media' and was attended by various civil society groups as well as media personnel.

It was organized by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and sponsored by the United States of America Embassy.

Speaking on the theme, Mr. Jonah stressed that civil society groups viewed the controversy surrounding the creation of the new 45 constituencies by the EC as a major challenge in the 2012 elections.

'It appears the EC's decision had not got bi-partisan support and if so, all that the civil society groups are saying is that it should be abandoned,' he intimated.

He indicated that even though the EC had been dragged to court by certain individuals in the country in almost all the elections years, on certain issues, the number of times the commission had been taken to court in this election year was unprecedented.

He pleaded with civil society organizations to continue to play their watchdog roles on the key players in the election including political parties, the EC, police and the media to ensure violent free elections this year.

Later in an interview, some of the participants expressed the view that achieving peace depended on Ghanaians and that the people should not only pray for it but work for it.

They, therefore, called the EC not to take any risk with the future of Ghanaians just to put 45 more people into Parliament.

Other speakers at the convention included Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, Chairman of the National Media Commission, and Alison Bethel MacKenzie, Executive Director, International Press Institute. It was chaired by Nana Kobina Nketsiah V, Paramount Chief of Essikado Traditional Area.

  From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi