Projection of election results by media apt – Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister-designate, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said there is nothing wrong with projections of election results by the media in the country.

The Ofoase Ayirebi Member of Parliament said during his vetting by the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Thursday February 18 that the projections by the media should not be misconstrued to be declaration of results.

Asked for his views on whether or not media projections of election results help Ghana’s democracy, he said the practice is best for the oil producing West African nation.

“In January 2009 when the 3rd round of that election had been concluded,” he said, “I participated in the projection of the election results at Multi Media Group Limited to the effect that the candidate of the NDC, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, God bless his soul, was going to be the winner of that election.”

The former broadcaster added “A projection is not a declaration. A projection is a statistical analysis based on all the votes that have come in and what is outstanding.

“And as democracies mature the media practice matures. It actually helps the democracy because as the results come in from the 275 constituencies and as media, political science analysts, civil society groups before the full glare of the country going through the figures and doing the analysis and projecting, not declaring, they are in a place to now settle and conscientise the minds of the population about where this election is most likely going to end.

“I do not see anything wrong with it.”

“I believe that it is part of the growth of the media and its protection that we are talking about and all efforts that can be made to deepen and to strengthen our democracy and things associated with elections should not be discouraged,” he added.