The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana, Mrs. Jean Mensah, has reaffirmed the commission's commitment to transparency in its operations. She made this statement during an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on October 1, 2024, in response to concerns raised by Dr. Omane Boamah, Director of Elections and Information Technology for the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Dr. Boamah had expressed skepticism over the EC’s trustworthiness and called for a forensic audit of the provisional voters' register, citing alleged discrepancies.

In response, Mrs. Mensah defended the EC's track record, emphasizing that the commission believes trust is built on transparency, effective communication, responsiveness to concerns, and providing verifiable information to the public. She stressed that the EC has consistently adhered to these principles.

"As a commission, we have demonstrated transparency and responsiveness. We have not hidden any information, and we have addressed the concerns of the citizenry in a timely manner, providing them with factual evidence," Mrs. Mensah stated.

She further highlighted that under the current administration, the EC has gone to great lengths to ensure that its operations are open and accessible to the public. She pointed out that, since the 2020 elections, the EC has provided daily infographics showing detailed information on registered voters, including gender breakdowns and figures for persons with disabilities.

Mrs. Mensah also mentioned that any political party or interested individual could easily use the publicly available information to verify the number of registered voters nationwide at any given time.

While acknowledging that minor errors could occur in the registration process, she insisted that these mistakes did not affect the credibility of the voters' register or the integrity of the general elections. Furthermore, she assured that the EC has been swift in correcting errors, issuing public statements, and providing timely updates through the media.

To reinforce her point, she cited the EC’s transparency during key processes such as the opening of nominations, the submission of nomination forms, and the recent balloting process, all of which were conducted with full public and media scrutiny. Mrs. Mensah also highlighted the live telecast of the IPAC meeting as a testament to the commission's openness.

In closing, Mrs. Mensah expressed her gratitude to all political party representatives for their participation and valuable feedback, which she noted would be taken into consideration to further strengthen the EC’s processes.

Credit: Nana Kwasi Asare