The Electoral Commission has debunked allegations levelled against it by the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that it is printing pink sheets without serial numbers for this year’s polls.
The party in a statement on Tuesday said it was informed by Aero Vote, the company contracted to print the pink sheets that there would not be any embossment of serial numbers on the pink sheets contrary to what it had been told by EC Chair Charlotte Osei at an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting.
But a statement by the EC said the 3,000 extra pink sheets being printed without serial numbers are meant to replace any of the polling station-specific and personalised pink sheets which have serial numbers, in case any mistakes are made on those result declaration forms.
“In respect of this personalisation, and in anticipation of possible mistakes and cancellations by Presiding Officers on these forms, provision has been made for the printing of 3000 extra copies of the Forms to cater for such unplanned incidents. These 3000 extra copies have been designed with a different colour, with the words "REPLACEMENT" embossed on them for ease of differentiation. The replacement forms cannot, therefore, be confused in any way with the personalised polling station specific forms.
“It is false that Aero Vote was awarded a contract worth US$8.95 million for the printing of the Statement of Polls and Declaration of Results Forms. The contract awarded to Aero Vote by the Commission is way below US$2 million in value (GHS7.2 million),” the EC said:
Below is the EC’s full statement:
1. The Commission in its continuous quest of ensuring the credibility and transparency in the upcoming General Elections has decided to personalise the Statement of Poll and the Declaration of Results Forms. For the first time, the said Forms would be polling station specific and would, therefore, not require the exercise of discretion during distribution by Election Officials. Every Form would have embossed on it, the polling station name, the polling station code AND serial numbers.
2. In respect of this personalisation, and in anticipation of possible mistakes and cancellations by Presiding Officers on these forms, provision has been made for the printing of 3000 extra copies of the Forms to cater for such unplanned incidents. These 3000 extra copies have been designed with a different colour, with the words "REPLACEMENT" embossed on them for ease of differentiation. The replacement forms cannot, therefore, be confused in any way with the personalised polling station specific forms.
3. It is false that Aero Vote was awarded a contract worth US$8.95 million for the printing of the Statement of Polls and Declaration of Results Forms. The contract awarded to Aero Vote by the Commission is way below US$2 million in value (GHS7.2 million).
4. We have been informed that no management staff of Aero Vote told officials of the NPP ‘that they have been told not to emboss serial numbers on the pink sheets”. This is an untrue statement. The contract terms and security features on the Pink Sheets as agreed between the Electoral Commission and Aero Vote are clear to the contractual parties. Further, the NPP has no privity of contract with Aero Vote and therefore has no legal basis for engaging directly with the company (which is a vendor of the EC), on their contractual obligations to the EC. Such enquiries should be made directly to the EC and not to a vendor. Vendors must be allowed the peace of mind and space to perform their contractual obligations to the people of Ghana through the EC. Vendors cannot and should not be reporting to political parties.
5. The NPP says in its Press Release, that “today, Aero Vote ….started the printing of the said forms”. Again, this claim is false. Printing of the Forms will start on Thursday, 17 November 2016.
6. For the first time in our electoral history, these forms will be printed in Ghana with enhanced security features that significantly boost the integrity of results collation in our elections.
7. Again, for the first time, political parties have been invited by the Commission to send their representatives to the premises of the company during the printing of the Statement of Poll and Declaration of Results forms. Police personnel would also be deployed to the premises during the printing process.
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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Replacement or not, there should be a serial number on them. why should you do things like that. Every action of your and decisions can not be understood by a normal person.Please Madam, we beg you to stop all these lorgorligi straw things and do the right thing.
ALL LEADERS OF NPP SHOULD BE CAREFUL IN THE WAY THE SIT IN THEIR BEDROOMS AND CREATE STORIES. IF THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON AND YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY DON'T YOU GO TO THE EC , BUT YOU RATHER FEEL LIKE STANDING ON A CAMPAIGN PLATFORM AND TELL YOUR SUPPORTERS. DO YOU KNOW THE IMPLICATION OF THAT? YOU GUYS ARE MAKING THIS YEARS ELECTION UNATTRACTIVE AT ALL.IF YOU HAVE MOTHER GHANA AT HEART YOU WILL NOT BEHAVE THIS WAY. I PRAY YOU ACCEPT DEFEAT IF YOU LOOSE THE UP COMING ELECTION. I SMELL EVILNESS.WUNTUMI YOU ARE ONE OF SUCH PEOPLE WATCH THE WAY YOU TALK TO PEOPLE EVEN THE WAY YOU CONFRONTED THE EC OFFICIAL WHEN YOU CLAIMED THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BALLOT PAPERS. GUYS WATCH OUT. THINK OF MOTHER GHANA FIRST
Madam Osei, think of Ghana first!!!! Build an institution that is transparent and can be seen to stand for fairness and be trusted. Your 'shadiness' and power play gives room for too much suspicion and speculation. Why can't all pink sheets whether pink or blue or whether replacement or not have serial numbers? It just beats me why you are so happy to raise doubts about your fairness!!! This explanation is not good at all.
just make sure all pink sheets have serial number for sake of transparency... Simple
So madam EC chair, How can you have all pink sheets have SERIAL NUMBERS be it the main pink sheets or the replacements??? This woman is just decide to cause confusion for herself and everyone in this country but I can assure her Ghanaians are wide awake this time round...