The Reverend Father Dr Patrick Osei-Poku, Coordinator for Justice and Peace of the Kumasi Catholic Diocese, has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to engage vigilant and trustworthy electoral officers in the conduct of future elections.
He said many of the alleged irregularities of the December 2012 elections were attributed to the lack of vigilance and commitment by some electoral functionaries to implement the specified rules.
Rev Father Dr. Osei-Poku said this when contributing to a two-day regional review meeting on 2012 Presidential and parliamentary elections organized by the Commission in collaboration with Department for International Development (DFID), KGC and the KAB Governance Consult at the EC’s Conference Hall in Kumasi.
“Enhancing the credibility of the 2012 elections” was the theme for the meeting and it brought together representatives from faith- based organizations, media and secular civil society organizations.
The event is held after each election to enable the Commission to take stock or obtain feedback from the stakeholders on the conduct of the 2012 election to inform the Commission on the conduct and strategise to avoid similar pitfalls in future elections.
Rev Father Dr. Osei-Poku asked the EC to secure the necessary funds and logistics in time and also ensure early training of officers.
Mr Ernest Akosah, Ashanti Regional Coordinator of Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), said the EC must be proactive in the dissemination of information on election procedures to stakeholders, especially political parties.
He also called for effective and serious training programmes for electoral officers, agents of political parties and candidates.
Mr Listowel Yesu Bukarson, the incoming Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), urged the EC to maximize the use information technology to keep the media abreast of latest development.
He also called for more workshops and seminars to be organised for the media and other stakeholders to update their knowledge on electoral issues.
Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Commission, flanked by all the Commission members and Directors appealed to the Media to exhibit professionalism in the discharge of their duties.
He said there was the need for all stakeholders to assist the EC in finding solutions to their numerous problems instead of blaming them.
He said the election-day distribution of election materials and officers was a worrying to the Commission and it was time parties help to address it.
Source: GNA
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