Allowing Akua Donkor’s face to remain on ballot paper will set bad precedent - Kwamena Duncan

A former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, has warned of dire consequences for the country’s future if the late Akua Donkor’s picture is left on the ballot paper for the upcoming December 7 polls.

Kwamena Duncan explained that allowing such a thing could set a bad precedent.

According to him, some voters may still choose to vote for the deceased candidate if their name and image remains on the ballot paper, creating an absurd situation for the country.

He shared these views regarding the EC’s suspension of ballot paper printing during an appearance on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo on Wednesday, October 30, 2024.

“The EC’s release gave a 10-day deadline to the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) to present a new candidate following the death of Akua Donkor. What has become contentious on social media is the wastage of money for the already printed ballots since they have suspended ballot printing.

“It wouldn’t have been a problem for us to say that Akua Donkor’s face must be maintained on the ballot paper, however, it would be absurd because it would become a precedent, and even if Akua Donkor were to be alive, she wouldn’t have won the elections,” he said.

He added, “Imagine if this same situation happens to either of the two dominant parties, NPP and NDC, and we decide to allow for the ballot papers to remain unchanged, making reference to Akua Donkor’s incident and vote for the dead person, it will be a certain absurdity. So, the EC must be careful not to set such a precedent because some voters will definitely vote for Akua Donkor if her face remains on the ballot paper even though she is dead.”

Proposing that the EC replaces Akua Donkor with another candidate from her party for reprinting, Kwamena Duncan nonetheless cautioned the electoral body against conducting another round of balloting.

He pointed out that this would create a cost crisis for individuals contracted to print the ballot papers and would disadvantage political parties that have already campaigned their ballot positions to voters.

“It is critical for the EC to replace her with someone from her party and reprint the ballot papers. We can't afford to conduct another balloting because it will be a cost disadvantage to individuals who have been contracted to print the dummy ballot papers.

“Also, the political parties have already advertised themselves to Ghanaian voters with their positions on the ballot so if they decide to conduct another ballot, it will become an issue. The best we can do is either the GFP presents another candidate or maintain the ballot positions with her position being blank on the ballot paper,” he advised.

MAG/AE

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