\n
Former UN Senior Governance Advisor, Prof. Baffuor Agyeman-Duah, has raised concerns about the recurring trend of replacing Electoral Commission (EC) heads whenever a new government assumes office in Ghana.<\/p>\n
He highlighted this issue as a serious threat to the country\u2019s democratic stability, citing examples such as the removal of Charlotte Osei after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) came into power following the 2016 election.<\/p>\n
This practice has taken on new significance, as the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which initially opposed Osei\u2019s removal, has now threatened to replace the current EC Chair if they win the 2024 elections.<\/p>\n
This cycle of dismissing EC officials with each change of government is deeply worrying, according to Prof. Agyeman-Duah.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Ghana Speaks High-Level Forum 2024, organized by IDEG, the co-founder of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) described this practice as \u201cdangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
He warned that frequent changes to the leadership of the EC undermine the integrity of Ghana\u2019s electoral process and pose risks to good governance.<\/p>\n
Prof. Agyeman-Duah stressed that maintaining continuity and impartiality within the Electoral Commission is essential for upholding public confidence in elections.<\/p>\n
He urged Ghana\u2019s political parties to move away from this trend and instead draw inspiration from Western democracies, where EC leadership transitions are less politicized and have proven effective in preserving the stability of the electoral system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe suspicion is always there, I don\u2019t know why, but because they are appointed by the president, it\u2019s difficult for the political parties to accept that this is a neutral body. I hope we nip it in the bud, but this new culture of a president comes, doesn\u2019t like the previous chairperson of the Electoral Commission, so I appointed my own.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know who is going to win the elections but suppose John Mahama becomes president again, my good friend Jean Mensa will not be there. They have already said that \u2018when we come we will also change you\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter all, it\u2019s so easy to change, one petition from a person to the president, onward to the chief justice, they constitute the panel, and you are gone. Is that not so? And that is dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is the system and I\u2019m saying we need to review the system. The president doesn\u2019t have to appoint. In other countries and other democracies, electoral officers or bodies are appointed differently, we can learn.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n
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Former UN Senior Governance Advisor, Prof. Baffuor Agyeman-Duah, has raised concerns about the recurring trend of replacing Electoral Commission (EC) heads whenever a new government assumes office in Ghana. He highlighted this issue as a serious threat to the country\u2019s democratic stability, citing examples such as the removal of Charlotte Osei after the New Patriotic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":229813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-229812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
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