The Electoral Commission (EC) has announced that it will reconsider its decision to halt the printing of ballot papers for the upcoming 2024 presidential election during the next week. This suspension was initiated following the passing of Madam Akua Donkor, the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) candidate, on October 28, 2024.
According to the EC, the GFP has been given a period of 10 days to appoint a new flagbearer, in compliance with Article 50 (4) of the 1992 Constitution. Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairman responsible for Corporate Services at the EC, confirmed this information during a media briefing after inspecting three ballot printing facilities in Accra. He stated that the Commission is set to revisit this issue next week.
“As you are aware, the printing of parliamentary ballots is ongoing. We have put the presidential ballot papers on hold. It is likely that by next week, the Commission will revisit that particular issue,” he said.
The recent tour of printing facilities by the Electoral Commission (EC) included three key locations: Buck Press in Ofankor, which is responsible for producing ballot papers for the Ashanti, Savannah, Oti, and Central regions; Innolink in the North Industrial Area, which handles ballots for the Greater Accra and North East regions; and Acts Commercials Limited in Darkuman, where ballots for Upper East, Upper West, and Western North are being printed.
This tour aimed to provide journalists with a direct look at the printing process, thereby promoting transparency and fostering public confidence in the electoral system. Leading the tour were the EC’s Director of Electoral Services, Benjamin Bano-Bioh, and Dr. Asare, who highlighted the commitment to maintaining transparency throughout the ballot printing operations.
He dismissed claims that the Commission had printed more ballots than needed for the 2024 election, calling such reports a “complete lie.”
“What the EC wants you to know is that nothing is done without the knowledge, even the inputs of political parties, and you can see clearly here that not only the main political parties are represented here.
“We even have Madam Akua Donkor who is no longer going to be a candidate, the agent is here, the independent candidates also have their agents here as well as the other minor political parties.
“So, if you hear anyone saying that the Electoral Commission has printed more than necessary ballots, that’s a complete lie, because the parties are aware; they know the ballot statistics for each region, for each constituency,” he said.
Mr Bano-Bioh said the Commission was one of the few election management institutions in the sub-region that printed its ballot papers locally, indicating the strength of its operations.
He said the Commission had nothing to hide, adding that it (EC) was committed to a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.
“We are here to let you know that printing ballots is not done in secrecy. We open up to the public for you to know that we are doing it together with the political party agents.
“At every level, there are agents, and they observe to ensure that the right thing is done. They take copies of the serial range of numbers; they take copies of quantities being printed for each constituency, and we give them all these details at the end.
“So, printing ballots, they are with us, and they make sure that whatever we have packaged and is ready to be sent to our regions and our constituencies, apart from the Electoral Commission’s seals, they also add their seals and take records of that,” he stated.
Dr Francis Nyanin, Executive Director of Buck Press, said the company was working around the clock to ensure that it met the deadline.