Starting today, June 5, 2024, the Electoral Commission (EC) has instructed its district officers to allow political party agents to observe the vote transfer process. This decision comes after discussions and concerns were raised during a recent Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting.
Samuel Tettey, the Deputy EC Chair in charge of Operations, spoke to the media in Accra on June 4, emphasizing the importance of party agents following the rules to prevent violence. He noted that the vote transfer process is governed by Regulation 22 of the Public Elections Regulations 2020-CI-127, which does not permit political party agents to block voters from transferring their votes.
Tettey also explained that political parties can only challenge a voter’s registration during the exhibition of the provisional register if they believe the voter does not reside in the area where they intend to vote. He criticized recent incidents where agents from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) interfered with the process, calling such actions unacceptable.
The EC initially allowed party agents to observe the vote transfer process, which began last Thursday, to ensure transparency. However, due to reports of violence between NPP and NDC agents attempting to unlawfully stop voters from transferring their votes, the EC had to revise its directives.
Tettey stressed that the temporary halt in observation was not to avoid scrutiny or favor any party but to maintain fairness and transparency in the electoral process.
