The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Ghana today deployed 40 long-term observers (LTOs) across the country.

The observers will be deployed across all of Ghana’s 16 regions, and will focus on rural as well as urban areas, said the mission’s Deputy Chief Observer, Marian Gabriel. “In the course of their work they will meet local electoral officials, candidates and representatives from political parties in each region, as well as civil society and the media.”

He noted that, in order to cover the country’s expanded number of regions, the EU had sent a larger contingent of LTOs in 2020 compared to 2016, with some teams doubling up in those regions with large populations.

On election day the mission will be supplemented across the country by some 30 locally recruited short-term observers (LSTOs), drawn from the diplomatic community. This will bring the number of EU observers on polling day to over 80, from EU member states as well as Canada, Norway and Switzerland. 

Mr Gabriel said all observers had tested negatively for COVID-19 before leaving their home country and again upon their arrival in Ghana. As an extra precaution they were tested again prior to their deployment. The EU EOM, he said, was “strictly following all procedures and rules set by the Ghanaian authorities to protect the Ghanaian people and our observers.”

The EU EOM, whose Chief Observer is a Member of the European Parliament from Spain, Mr Javier Nart, will issue a preliminary statement shortly after the elections. A final report, with recommendations for future elections, will be published later.