A political analyst and a financial engineer Mr. Alex Emmanuel Nti has stated that the Electoral Commission’s concerns raised about ending voting at 3 pm are flimsy excuses that could create chaos in the country.
Speaking on Plan B FM’s late afternoon show EBAANOSEN hosted by Ohene Kinnah, Mr. Nti explained that, there are a lot of hinterlands with roads very deplorable in the country that could delay the distribution of electoral materials which could delay the voting processes.
He said, there are a lot of workers, business men and women that have planned to vote after work and that voting day is not a public holiday so ending voting at 3 pm will create misunderstanding, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has kicked against the proposal made by the Electoral Commission to close polls at 3 pm instead of 5 pm.
In a release sighted by GhanaWeb, it said this new plan may disenfranchise many new voters on election day.
GFL also rejected claims by the Electoral Commission that records show 70% of its polling stations were empty by 1 pm during the 2020 elections as a result of robust verification devices and this will prevent manipulations and rigging.
“GFL strongly kicks against this dangerous experiment in the upcoming election, many agree is crucial because stakes are high and tied to the peace and security of our beloved country. A presidential winner in Ghana must obtain not less than 50%+ of the total valid votes, which means every vote counts,” the release read in parts.
It added “But when a system is created for potential confusion on an election day, whereby potential electorates mostly first-time voters may have to struggle to find their polling stations, this plan to close at 3 pm could potentially disenfranchise thousands.”
The Ghana Federation of Labour made some recommendations the EC can adopt to run a smooth 2024 elections.
Below are the recommendations made by the Ghana Federation of Labour;
1. An immediate round table consultations with critical stakeholders including Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), Governance think tanks and CSOs to scrutinize EC’s assessment concerning realities in difficult-to-reach communities.
2. Subject EC’s recent data capturing measures to scrutiny especially the potential chaos over the location of polling stations by those recently captured.
3. Outstanding registration exercise and clarion call to expand Centers for easy identification of polling stations /voting centers.
4. The application of INDELIBLE INK to check multiple voting must continue until sole reliance on VERIFICATION DEVICES is proven to be effective and the process acceptable to stakeholders.
5. Abandon plans to use the upcoming District elections for another level of piloting because of the potential very low turnout which will NOT reflect realities expected during general elections as in the case of 2024 in which stakes are very high.
6. Critically consider vote patterns in difficult-to-reach areas where the declaration of results is always delayed – (cases of late start or queues after 5 pm and guarantees to address causes to ensure potential votes from such areas are not lost out.
7. Revert to Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) structures and Conventions with guarantees to build confidence to enhance buy-ins into reforms.
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