The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has defended its choice to re-collate election results in nine constituencies following their initial announcement, asserting that this practice is not unusual in the nation’s electoral history.
In a statement disseminated via social media, the EC referenced previous occurrences where re-collation resulted in modifications to declared outcomes, highlighting the importance of precision and equity in the electoral process.
“Re-collation after the declaration of results is not a novel occurrence. It has transpired in the past,” the EC stated, offering examples from earlier elections:
- In 1998, during the district-level elections in the Dompose Kokwaado Electoral Area within the KEEA District, the EC, led by Dr. Afari Gyan, reversed an earlier declaration and recognized the correct candidate as the winner.
- In 2004, under Dr. Afari Gyan’s leadership, the EC re-collated parliamentary results in the Pru Constituency, overturning the initial declaration favoring the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, who was later confirmed as the winner over the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate.
- In the same year, the results for the Tolon Constituency were re-collated, leading to the declaration of the rightful winner.
- Additionally, in 2004, re-collation occurred in the Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency, resulting in the identification of the correct winner.
- Likewise, in the Zabzugu Constituency, a re-collation in 2004 led to the rightful candidate being declared the winner.
The EC’s decision to re-collate results in these nine constituencies has ignited public discourse, with some critics questioning the timing and potential ramifications of this action.
Nevertheless, the Commission maintains that its measures align with its responsibility to uphold free, fair, and credible elections.
It reiterated that re-collation serves as a corrective action to rectify discrepancies and ensure that the declared results genuinely represent the electorate’s will.
