Politics of Saturday, 28 December 2024

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Confusion and controversy surround Dome-Kwabenya re-collation and rerun

Elipklim Akurugu and Mike Oquaye Jnr. Elipklim Akurugu and Mike Oquaye Jnr.

The re-collation of parliamentary results for the Dome-Kwabenya constituency has been characterised by confusion and disagreements between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The situation has been further complicated by the absence of pink sheets from certain polling stations, with both parties unable to provide all the necessary documentation, according to a report by citinewsroom.com.

The report noted that the absence of these critical documents has led to disputes regarding the number of polling stations with discrepancies and the validity of the results.

The re-collation process was initiated to verify parliamentary results after allegations arose that some party representatives were absent during the declaration on December 8, 2024.

However, the absence of hard copies of pink sheets from three polling stations stalled the process.

The Electoral Commission (EC) resorted to soft copies submitted by presiding officers but insisted on hard copies for verification, which neither party could provide.

Consequently, the EC paused the re-collation process to deliberate on the next steps.

Amid the confusion, the EC has announced a rerun of elections at an outstanding polling station in the constituency.

This decision followed the conclusion of the collation process for 367 polling stations, with three results pending.

“The report from the returning officers was that they have concluded collating 367 polling station results. They were left with three results, and the three results were brought later.

"The commission rejected one of them outright on the stance that it was declared on a wrong statement of poll because they used training sheets, which is not the one that they should use. So, the commission has rejected one. We decided to come and add the two and see what happens," Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, Director of Training at the EC, explained.

The re-collation of results remains critical in determining the final parliamentary representation for Dome-Kwabenya.

The EC has assured the public of its commitment to addressing the issues thoroughly to provide accurate results.

The constituency awaits the rerun at the outstanding polling station to resolve the electoral impasse, ensuring a conclusive outcome for the parliamentary seat.

JKB/MA

Watch the hearing of the six disputed parliamentary results below: