<<Print>>

The legal tussles that have dominated the news ahead of the elections in recent times could have been avoided if the Electoral Commission (EC) had adopted a dialogue oriented approach, Former President, John Agyekum Kufour has stated.

The Commission had initially disqualified 13 out of 17 flagbearers from the presidential race for filing presidential nomination forms with anomalies.

But legal challenges from a number of the political parties saw 3 of the disqualified aspirants make their way back into the presidential race.

In reference to the court cases surrounding the Commission’s disqualification of the presidential aspirants, Mr. Kufuor said the legal battles could have been prevented if the EC had engaged political parties with alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Speaking at a programme dubbed “A Conversation on Leadership and the Future of Africa” at his residence yesterday [Wednesday], he maintained said, “we needn’t have gone to court… if everybody had been mindful, including the Electoral Commission (EC), the Peace Council, government, perhaps the method of resolution should have been one of the alternative dispute resolutions.”

“What perhaps the Electoral Commission should have done should have been to invite everybody, sit down say let’s check this thing. This is not good so go and do it, I give you another week,” he added.

Mr. Kufuor also reminded the EC that it was not above the law as evidenced by the Supreme Court’s intervention in the litigation from some political parties.

“No institution is sacrosanct. No one is above the law or should be above the law and when I say this I include even the Electoral Commission. Yes the constitution provides its independence but it is the same constitution that provides for a Supreme Court that can judicially review anything within the constitution.”