The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has clarified the delay in declaring the certified parliamentary results for 12 constituencies across the country.
In a press conference held on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, the EC defended its decision to re-collate the results of these constituencies, dismissing allegations that the exercise is illegal as claimed by some political actors. “It has been stated by some people that the re-collation the commission is doing is illegal; this is because the CI says after declaration, you cannot re-collate. We wish to state that this is false,” the EC stated.
Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairperson of the EC in charge of Corporate Affairs, explained that the exercise is not unprecedented. He recounted instances in the Commission’s history where re-collation became necessary due to undue pressure on presiding officers to declare results in favor of certain parties. “It is important to note that the Commission cannot uphold an illegality. What happened at the collation centers, where results were declared without all the polling station results and under threats at gun and knife point, cannot be legal, and the Commission will not uphold this,” Dr. Asare emphasized.
He further disclosed that the EC has so far re-collated and declared certified results for 274 out of 276 Member of Parliament-elects. The Commission assured the public that results for the remaining two constituencies—Dome-Kwabenya and Ablekuma North—will be declared before the inauguration of the 9th Parliament in 2025.
By: Kobina Baidoo