PARTIES, EC MUST WORK TO CONSOLIDATE DEMOCRACY (PAGE 16)

Story: Abdul Aziz

Professor J. R.A Ayee, Dean of Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon has called for increased consultations between political parties and the Electoral Commission (EC) to consolidate democracy in the country.
Delivering a keynote address as part of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the university, he said the electoral process in the country was not fool-proof and it was therefore necessary for a consensus from all the parties to ensure the credibility of the outcome of the elections.
Prof. Ayee, who spoke on the topic: “Elections, Democracy and Development under the Fourth Republic”, observed that the political climate was getting polarised daily as a result of inflammatory language being used mainly by some officials and party supporters, raising doubts as to whether there could be any improvement in the political atmosphere.
He said language had been both intemperate and belligerent and that trend had the tendency of creating confusion, fear and distortion of facts, which could be counter productive.
He said the electoral register was said to be bloated and this year, there had already been tension between the EC and some parties over the alleged bloated register.
Prof. Ayee explained that the decentralisation of the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) to the regional and district levels, the use of photo identity cards nationwide, the deployment of 7,000 local observers and the replacement of opaque ballot boxes with transparent ones were some of the consensus building measures that should be explored to reduce tension.
He said the country had not done well in the resolution of electoral disputes, adding that immediate determination of disputes would prevent the resort to lawlessness, which could bring the sanctity of the electoral process into disrepute.
Prof. Ayee said that in past elections aggrieved candidates who lost the elections went to courts for redress but did not get relief in good time.
He said such delays had frustrated candidates and could be a recipe for people taking the law into their own hands.
He called for electoral courts to deal expeditiously with election disputes to restore the confidence of the people.
He said fortunately the EC is respected by all the political parties and is seen as neutral and impartial, adding that this recognition was good for its image and therefore not to be abused.
Prof. Ayee said other hiccups included the inadequate public education that had created high levels of ignorance about electoral laws, procedures and processes of elections.
He said a perfect example of lack of education was the high numbers of invalid votes in the 2004 elections, which was 188,123 representing 2.13 per cent of the total votes as against 104,214 in 2000 and 111,108 in 1996.
He said efforts towards public education were ad-hoc and piecemeal and the perception was that it was the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) alone that had to undertake education.
Prof. Ayee said political parties ought to be made to take on that responsibility to promote the credibility of the electoral process, since undermining the process would not be in the interest of peace and stability of the country.