EC holds crucial IPAC meeting ahead of polls

The Electoral Commission on Friday held a crucial Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting with representatives of the various political parties ahead of the December 7 polls. The meeting was to discuss the concerns of some parties over the security and the integrity of the ballot just a week to the polls. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) had earlier raised issues with the printing of pink sheets by Aero votes, presidential ballot printing by Innolink, and missing party acronym from ballots sent to its stronghold, the Ashanti region. Citi News’ Sixtus Don Ullo reported that the Electoral Commission used the opportunity to respond to all such concerns. Speaking to the media after the meeting, General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Atik Mohammed hinted that the EC also explained circumstances surrounding the inclusion of more Police personnel on the special voters list at the eleventh hour. He said they also reached a compromise on the issue “because we had to strike a balance between having the security agencies play their role on the day of election or upholding in the strictest term the regulations we are using to run this election and sacrificing the role on what the security agencies would be playing on the day.” Atik Mohammed said “the general feeling I got from that discussion was that it is better to somewhat sacrifice a bit of the law so that we can have proper representation of the police on that day.” The Electoral Commission according to Atik admitted making the amendments before the expiration of the 42-day ultimatum per the C.I. 94, the law regulating the conduct of this year’s elections. “The agreement from the EC was that the admission was done before the expiration of the 42-day ultimatum  but they are asking us that on the balance of what is happening and the likely implication of not having the security agencies not deployed on the day of the election what are we supposed to do. So what I got from the discussion was that it was not really hurtful to the process so we can admit those additions,” he added. –

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana –