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Our Staff Were Threatened – EC On declarations

The Electoral Commission (EC) has said its staff were threatened in some collations centres in the just-ended 2024 election with regards to the declaration, disrupting the process.

At a press conference on Thursday, the EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa stated officials faced resistance, threats, intimidation, and property destruction from political party supporters.

She bemoaned that in some instances, EC returning officers were coerced into declaring parliamentary results under duress.

She added that political party supporters destroyed pink sheets and desktop computers used for electronic collation, assaulted EC staff, and issued death threats, ultimately bringing the process to a halt in some constituencies.

“Our staff have been threatened, and the established collation processes, as guided by law, have been disrupted, and witnesses have been declared without due processes governing collation being followed.

“In a number of instances, our staff have been threatened with death and forced to declare outcomes without adhering to the processes governing collation,” she stated.

Mrs Mensa condemned these actions, reiterating its commitment to ensuring transparency and adherence to the rule of law in the electoral process.

Citing the parliamentary election results declaration in the Ablekuma North and Okaikwei Central constituencies, the EC Chairperson said the Commission will not accept it, labelling them as illegal.

According to the EC, the winner of Okaikwei Central was declared without results from 31 polling stations, while that of Ablekuma North omitted results from 62 polling stations.

Both constituencies were declared for candidates of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Meanwhile, she has called on President Akufo-Addo and the President-elect John Mahama to beef up security and ensure a safe environment for the EC to re-collate results for the outstanding constituencies.

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