Electoral Commission (EC) has rescinded its previous order barring agents of political parties from witnessing the voter transfer exercise.
Party agent access to transfer centres was banned in the first memo, which was sent to district officials on June 2. The document cited violent instances as justification for the prohibition.
Political parties and civil society organisations swiftly condemned the action, calling it a betrayal of democratic ideals and a possible reason for disparities in vote distribution.
The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, expressed his worries on Facebook, claiming that the EC’s directive was evidence of cooperation with the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to rig the upcoming general elections on December 7.
But in an unexpected change of events, the EC overturned the contentious judgement in a press statement on June 4.
The Electoral Commission’s Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, Samuel Tettey, said the decision to reverse was made after careful deliberation and evaluation of the many issues brought out.
“Following internal discussions and in consideration of the concerns of some stakeholders, the Commission has decided to revert to its decision made at IPAC.
“The Commission has directed its Officers at the Districts to allow Agents of Political Parties to observe the Transfer of Votes Exercise with effect from tomorrow Wednesday, 5th June, 2024,” portions of the release said.