Our EC has become too autocratic, endangering our democracy – Kofi Bentil

A Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has described the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) as an autocratic institution.

Speaking at the Seminal Lecture at the University for Development Studies (UDS) on Saturday, August 30, 2024, Kofi Bentil explained that the commission is autocratic because of the structures it was established on.

He indicated the authoritarianism of the EC poses a serious threat to Ghana's democracy.

“The structure on which the Electoral Commission is based is making it too autocratic, too impervious to good advice and they are endangering the republic.

“... The confidence we have in our EC is slipping, we would be remiss to think and proceed as if everything was fine. Like I said, it has become too autocratic, it has become too opaque, it has become impervious to reason and unaccountable,” he said.

He cited the decision of the EC to go ahead and auction some of its equipment in order to buy new ones despite advice that they were in perfect condition, as an example of the EC being impervious to good advice.

He warned that if the EC continues to be autocratic, it may one day land the country in trouble, saying “The problem is that if that continues, you don’t know where it would end.”

BAI/AE

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