Don’t do what you want, consult parties – Agyinasare to EC

General News of Monday, 25 May 2020

Source: Daily Mail

2020-05-25

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The founder of Perez Chapel International, Bishop Charles Agyinasare, has counseled the Electoral Commission to involve all stakeholders in its plans for a successful 2020 elections.

He said the EC plays a crucial role in Ghana’s democracy hence any decision inimical to Ghana’s electoral fortunes could spell doom for the nation.

Speaking during a sermon on Sunday, Bishop Agyinasare called on the Jean Mensa-led EC to “be very neutral in refereeing the elections this year.”

The electoral management body has come under a heavy public backlash over its resolve to go ahead to compile a new voter’s register amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes the timing is wrong, especially when the contagion keeps spreading at the community level ever since it was detected in Ghana mid-March. At the moment Ghana has recorded 6,808 cases resulting in 32 deaths with 2,070 recoveries as at May 25, 2020.

Bishop Agyinasare believes having all stakeholders onboard will help the EC make an informed decision while guaranteeing the safety and wellbeing of the Ghanaian populace.

“You must listen attentively to the stakeholders and bring everybody on board”, Bishop Agyinasare advised the EC.

He added: “Don’t say because you’re the Electoral Commission, you’re just going to do what you want”.

In his view, Ghana can only maintain the peace she is enjoying if all the stakeholders for the 7 December 2020 polls are brought on board.

“There are stakeholders that can either allow us to have this peacefully or not”, Bishop Agyinasare noted, urging the election management body to “bring all of them on board”.

Experts have expressed fear over biometric clock-ins, which is similar to the EC’s biometric registration system. They said the COVID-19 virus can easily spread through the system, although the EC has promised to use biometric wipes and sanitizers at the centres.

According to both Dr. Elizabeth Hughes of the United States Infectious disease Center and Prof. Manfred Breckenridge of Boston Medical Laboratories, the use of biometric devices is one of the means by which the virus is fast spreading.