A former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, is advocating for stiffer punishments for electoral officers who tamper with elections, as well as for individuals involved in electoral malpractices and offences.

Speaking at the Ghana Bar Association's (GBA) annual conference in Kumasi, on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, Dr. Afari-Gyan stated that acts intended to undermine the will of the people should be considered treasonous and treated accordingly, in terms of punishment.

"Persons who commit serious election offences, particularly if they are professional election officials or electronic experts must be severely punished for attempting to undermine the will of the people; possibly a treasonable act,” he is quoted as saying by myjoyonline.com.

According to him, electoral officers who are trained to oversee and ensure free and fair elections are fully aware of their responsibilities and the repercussions of engaging in electoral malpractices.

Therefore, any attempt by them to manipulate or tamper with election figures should be met with severe punishment, he added.

"And I am singling out professional election administrators and electronic experts because they know what they are doing.

"A voter may commit some infraction. An election official by their training, they know what is the right thing to do. The electronic expert who is tampering with the figures knows exactly what he is doing and these people, I am suggesting, they should be seriously punished," Dr. Afari-Gyan added.

Dr. Afari-Gyan, however, advised political parties and candidates to obtain the necessary data before challenging the election results in court.

MAG/AE