General News of Monday, 24 June 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Rigging of elections starts long before election day - KSM cautions EC

Veteran broadcaster Kweku Sintim-Misa Veteran broadcaster Kweku Sintim-Misa

Veteran broadcaster Kweku Sintim-Misa (KSM) has cautioned against attempts to rig the upcoming December 7, 2024, general elections.

According to him, the rigging of elections occurs well before the actual voting day, rather than on the day of the elections as some may believe.

Speaking on the latest episode of his TalkShop programme, KSM added that election rigging can be carried out by anyone, including both the government and opposition political parties.

He, therefore, advised the leadership of the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) to implement measures to prevent any form of rigging.

"Rigging doesn't happen on the day of the election. If you are waiting for election rigging on the actual election day, you have waited too long. Rigging begins long before the elections. And it can be perpetrated by anyone. It can come from the government, or even from the opposition, who may rig elections in their strongholds.

"So, when I mention rigging, I don't want those in government to assume I'm only referring to them - I'm simply emphasizing the importance of a free and fair process. To the office of the electoral commissioner, please, everything depends on you now. You hold the future of Ghana in your hands," he said.

The veteran broadcaster expressed concern about recent events within the commission, including reports of missing election equipment.

He urged the commission to address any election-related issues, no matter how minor they may seem, in order to earn the trust of the public.

"Recently, there have been too many small incidents. As the Electoral Commission, whatever the issue, no matter how insignificant it may sound, resolve it. You don't want people to suspect irregularities. For instance, there are reports of missing BVD machines. Missing from the Electoral Commission's office. How could the Electoral Commission not have CCTV cameras monitoring these machines, which are now missing?

"This is what I'm referring to. Are these machines truly missing? If so, then people have the right to ask questions."

BAI/OGB

Watch the latest episode of Everyday People on GhanaWeb TV below:





Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.