Electoral Commission holds forum for parliamentary candidates

Koforidua, Nov. 21, GNA - Mr David Kanga, a Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), on Friday urged political parties to ensure that they select knowledgeable and trustworthy people to be their polling agents on Election Day. Speaking at forum in Koforidua for parliamentary candidates in the Eastern Region, he urged political parties to disregard the erroneous impression that members of the EC could rig an election in favour of a party.

He said elections could be won or lost at the polling stations and advised political parties to let their polling agents know their rights so that they would be in a position to detect any electoral fraud that might occur.

Mr Kanga said it was the duty of polling agents to ensure that ballot boxes were carefully sealed after the voting. He said security men were not supposed to interfere in the electoral process and advised polling agents to be bold and stop any security officer, who might attempt to do otherwise. Mr Kanga said if at the end of voting, the number of ballot papers exceeded that which was issued, the election would be nullified at that polling station in question.

Mr Paul Boateng, Eastern Regional Director of the EC said achieving free, fair, credible and peaceful elections was a collective responsibility among the Commission, the political parties, the candidates, the electorate, the media, the security agencies and the courts.

Mr Boateng urged the candidates to play it fair with other candidates during their campaigns. He reminded them that the manner in which they would conduct their campaigns would in no doubt have a bearing on whether or not the elections would be held in a peaceful and orderly atmosphere. Mr Boateng advised the candidates to play their roles in such a way that in the end "we can say with certainty that the results of the elections represent the true choices of our people".