General News of Monday, 24 December 2012

Source: Daily Guide

EC Changes Figures

The controversy surrounding the 2012 general elections refuses to die with the unearthing of one anomaly or the other each passing week.

Now it appears the Electoral Commission (EC) has changed the figures put out in the public domain when it announced the results of the presidential elections on December 9, 2012.

Apart from the allegations of fraud and manipulation of figures made by the various opposition parties including the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which has threatened legal action against the Electoral Commission, Daily Guide has uncovered some discrepancies in the figures declared by Chairman of the EC, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan on December 9th as the truly certified results of the elections and another posted on the official website of the Commission, www.ec.gov.gh

The alleged changes involved a difference in the total number of ‘registered voters’ and the percentage ‘turnout’ during the polls.

Whilst Dr. Afari-Gyan announced a total of 14,158,890 as registered voters on the day he declared the results of the elections, a visit to the EC’s official website indicates that a total of 14,031,793 Ghanaians registered to vote with a difference of a whopping 127,097.

During the declaration of results, Chairman of the EC indicated a total of 10,995,262 as ‘valid votes’, 251,720 as ‘rejected votes’, 11,246,982 as votes cast, 14,158,890 as registered voters and 275 constituencies with a turnout of 79.43%.

However, these figures are entirely different from the one on its own website which indicates that a percentage of people who turned out to vote and actually voted were 80.15%.

This latest twists have started raising mind-boggling questions and suspicion among political observers, especially political parties who have expressed concerns about some of the figures declared by the EC, as the truly certified results.

This intermittent change in figures on the website of the EC is what keeps people wondering whether it is a deliberate ploy to confuse Ghanaians or some unseen hands are at play.

“The EC has indicated that it has gazetted the results of the presidential elections; but we are not sure of the results gazetted,” a source told Daily Guide yesterday.