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EC commissioners don't trust themselves - Report

According to a report by the Special Committee of Parliament the high level of mistrust among the key officials at the commission is impeding the smooth discharge of their duties.

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According to the report, the high level of mistrust among the key officials at the commission is impeding the smooth discharge of their duties.

This revelation was made when the Majority Leader of Parliament Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu during a debate in Parliament ahead of the approval of the 2017 budget estimate for the commission.

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“The general observation from the committee was that the commissioners are not on good terms. It cannot be good for the conduct of elections. For instance, when they appeared before us and we asked the whereabouts of the chairman, the deputy commissioner said: ‘My information is that she has travelled outside’ without informing the others. They don’t know that she is outside the country. The deputy commissioners didn’t know the whereabouts of the chairperson of the commission. It cannot be good for the image of the commission. That is why we are saying that we should find a way to resolve the differences amongst them because ultimately it will impact on the conduct of elections.”

He added that there is the need for the commissioners to be united since the commission is likely to organise a referendum in 2018 to determine whether or not the election of DCEs should be by popular vote.

“The EC should be engaging in the non-election-related activities now. There are certain activities that must be initiated this year. We met them and they admitted no such preparation is being made and often they wait until the last minute and engage in quick-fix solutions. It’s not good for us. Next year is going to be an election year, if we have to conduct the referendum. The ensuing year will be the year for the district assembly and then into 2020, so for three successive years, they are going to have elections, so they need to prepare but there is no reflection of that in the 2017 budget and it should be worrying to all of us. It is not good for the EC. They need themselves to recruit qualified personnel for the IT department. Most of them there don’t even meet the standard and they are pretending to be IT specialists,” he added.

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Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who is also the Head of the Special Budget Committee of the House urged the Commissioners to learn to trust each other since it is critical for the organisation of elections in the country.

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