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A press statement from the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations which comprised IDEG, GII, CDD, GACC, MFWA, CFI and a few others, over the concerns expressed over the issuance of a circular by the EC about the outfit going on a recess.

The coalition finds it a bit unfathomable for the Electoral Commission to be going on a hiatus when there are pending but critical issues arising out of the declared results in relation to the opposition National Democratic Congress.

The EC has not shut down. It is a Christmas break for the obviously weary workers of the outfit.

EC has only gone on Christmas break because its work is done. Within six months or so, it has done the biggest biometric registration ever at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

It has also held the biggest general elections ever without leading to a spike in COVID-19 cases. It has declared all 275 parliamentary results and the presidential results and gazzetted the presidential results as well.

Per the laws of the land, the elections are over. Any dispute with the results must be filed at the law courts. The NDC has challenges and the NPP also has challenges. They both know what to do. The law courts are ever ready to listen to their pleas. That is just how a responsible society believes.

It is important to stress that at all times we should work within the rules even when we have issues which may be legitimate or otherwise over how the rules have been applied.

One other important thing is the fact that the Chairperson of the EC and her deputies have no jurisdictions over parliamentary results. They are declared at the various district offices and, therefore, issues arising out of same must be addressed in the law courts.

The NDC must, as a matter of urgency, channel their grievances against any issues related to the declared results whether presidential or parliamentary, to the law courts. The streets are not places to seek justice, in case they even have a case. They should go to court and not the streets.