Jean Mensa-led EC missed opportunity to be best in the world – Bombande

A former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emmanuel Bombande, has said the current Electoral Commission (EC) under the leadership of Jean Mensa has missed an opportunity to be the best or one of the best in the world.

Mr Bombande, who is also a former UN Mediation Adviser for the Central African Republic, said the elections management body has failed to achieve consensus building with the various political parties on key issues ahead of the elections on December 7.

This and other factors, according to him, have robbed the EC of the chance of becoming the best in the world.

He told TV3’s Roland Walker in an exclusive interview Wednesday, November 11 that the Commission “missed an opportunity at this stage to demonstrate not only to the people of Ghana but the whole world that they could be the best of the best”.

“It is not too late, however. We still have the opportunity to ensure that the final preparation regardless of where we have come from are based on consensus building of the stakeholders."

“So, it is not too late in the day that any decision from here on, let us find the table of dialogue and make those decisions collectively.”

The main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), had criticised the EC ahead of the elections because in their view it has acted in ways that are not transparent.

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said he will not accept the results of the 2020 presidential elections if the processes leading to it are flawed.

He explained at a press conference at the headquarters of the NDC in Accra on Thursday, September 24 that the EC has carried itself in a way that does not engender confidence among some political parties, ahead of the elections.

“When you go in secrecy and do all kind of things and the processes are flawed, you don’t expect me to accept the results of a flawed election. I won’t.”