The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured constituents of Ablekuma North and Dome Kwabenya that they would have their Members of Parliament-elect declared before the inauguration in January 2025.
The two outstanding constituencies were suspended due to the failure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to provide hard copies of the pink sheets required to resolve outstanding discrepancies.
Addressing the media on Tuesday, December 24, the Deputy Chairman of EC in charge of Corporate Services, Dr Bossman Asare said the two outstanding will be finalised soon.
“We are hopeful that the two outstanding constituencies will have their members of parliament elect very soon, way before the swearing-in Parliament,” he assured
The Commission attributed the delays in finalising the results to disruptions caused by the actions of party supporters at some collation centers. These disturbances, he noted included the destruction of EC property, manhandling of officials, and forcing Returning Officers to prematurely declare winners in some constituencies.
“During the collation process, supporters of political parties invaded several centers, demanding the declaration of results in favor of their preferred candidates. This led to disruptions, the destruction of EC properties, and in some instances, the declaration of incorrect results,” the EC explained.
The Commission cited instances of such disruptions in constituencies like Techiman South, Okaikwei Central, Tema Central, Fanteakwa North, Ablekuma, and others. In areas such as Ahafo Ano North, Ahafo Ano South West, Suhum, Akwatia, and Nsawam Adoagyir, collation activities were truncated entirely due to attacks on officials.
According to him, one notable case occurred in Obuasi East, where the wrong candidate was declared winner under duress from a mob. However, with the support of the Ghana Police Service and the National Election Security Task Force, the EC has since rectified results in 10 of the 12 affected constituencies.
The EC explained that a decision was made to complete the collation process in Accra, rather than in the affected areas, due to security concerns.
Source: Myjoyonline.com