THE European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Ghana says the need for transparency at all levels of the electoral process is a guarantee for peaceful elections and swift conflict resolution.
Interacting with the media, the Chief Observer and Head of the team, Tamas Meszerics, also indicated the Mission is satisfied with Ghana’s justice system on the elections.
“Transparency at every stage of the elections process, not just the polling day, is one of the most important safeguards. This is one of the best guarantees for the acceptance of the results and, therefore, for a peaceful resolution to political conflict to the ballot.
He assured the team would act professionally and not interfere in the electoral process, adding that the EU EOM will conduct a comprehensive and impartial analysis of the whole electoral process.
The Chief Observer, Mr Tamás Meszerics, further assured that the team would not work against its mandate.
The team is in the country to observe the country’s presidential and parliamentary elections slated for December 7, 2016. Twenty-four members have been deployed as long-term observers to the 10 regions of the country to begin the exercise, while 32 will also serve as short-term observers.
They will be joined by a team of seven members from the EU Parliament as well as representatives of the embassies of the EU in Ghana, bringing the total number of observers on election day to 85.
The EU EOM is expected to assess the conduct of the elections based on the country’s laws regarding elections, as well as regional and international standards.
Being the third time the mission is embarking on the exercise, the team is expected to spend about three weeks in the country, after which the team members will be expected to file a final report and make recommendations that will improve Ghana’s electoral system.
If the election goes to a second round, the team will remain in Ghana until the entire process is exhausted before making its final recommendations and observations.
Mr Meszerics also explained that since the team’s arrival, it had been meeting stakeholders: the Electoral Commission (EC), political parties, the media and some cabinet ministers.
“We are doing all these so that all stakeholders will feel part of the entire exercise from start to finish,” he said, and emphasised that the team was in the country to work for its interest.
In response to some questions from the media, the Assistant Chief Observer, Mr Mark Stevens, said some recommendations made after the 2012 elections had been adopted and implemented by the EC, and he applauded the commission for that.
He, particularly, mentioned the increase in polling stations as one of the key observations made, noting that four years ago, the team observed that the number of polling stations were inadequate for the total number of eligible voters in the country.
After the 2012 general elections, the EC increased the number of polling stations from 23,000 to 26,000.
The EU supports African efforts to reinforce the democratisation process across the continent and since 2000, more than 70 election observation missions have been deployed by the EU to various African countries.