The Institute of Democratic Governance - www.ideg.org - and the Civic Forum Initiative, a public affrairs non governmental network, state their position on the current situation at Ghana's Electoral Commission.

1. PRESS STATEMENT
RESOLVING THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION’S LEADERSHIP CRISIS TO SUSTAIN GHANA’S
DEMCRATIC STABILITY
26th
July 2017
1. The Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) and Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) observe with
great concern the leadership conflict that has engulfed the Electoral Commission (EC) and
attracted the attention of the Public and the Media. Within the brief span of one month, the
Deputy Chair responsible for corporate services has been suspended upon the
recommendation of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO). A petition has also
been filed calling on the President to initiate impeachment proceedings against the Chair of
the EC. Lately, the Chair and her two Deputies have traded accusations of corruption,
impropriety and incompetence.
2. This internal situation at the EC, a highly regarded Electoral Management Body in Africa,
threatens to create institutional paralysis and cause international reputational damage with
dire consequences. The near-crisis situation needs to be dealt with expeditiously, to sustain
the EC’s capacity to perform its statutory functions.
3. Within the next 24 months, the EC is expected to conduct elections at:
i. National Delegates Congresses of the various political parties
ii. Presidential and parliamentary primaries
iii. District level elections, and possibly hold a
iv. Referendum on constitutional amendments, which would lead to the creation of new
regions and introduce multi-party elections in the districts.
Additionally, it may have to re-demarcate constituency boundaries while undertaking all the
necessary tasks for conducting the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections successfully.
4. The EC requires a unified leadership and internal harmony to perform these functions
effectively and professionally. The risk of failure is high with the current impasse and could
trigger wider political and constitutional crises, especially if the EC were unable to adhere
strictly to the implementation of its electoral calendar. Obviously, the issues underpinning the
unfolding crisis are complex and therefore would require carefully thought through and
appropriate interventions to address them holistically.

2. 5. We support the call for the three top officials embroiled in the current saga to step aside and
allow for full investigations into the matter. But there is also a need for additional measures
that will immediately guarantee the operational continuity and efficiency of the EC. In the light
of these observations, the IDEG and CFI do hereby recommend as follows:
a) The current Chair together with her two Deputies who are implicated in the conflict
should be made to step aside and investigated, following due process.
b) An interim Chair should be appointed to create a more conducive environment for the
Commission to do its work normally. This would forestall a potential institutional
paralysis.
c) We urge the President, the Chief Justice, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Chair of
the Council of State to confer both on the appointment of the interim Chair and the
investigations. All these four institutions have constitutional responsibilities towards
the EC and carry a moral burden to work collectively towards the restoration of public
faith and trust in the Institution.
d) The investigations should be undertaken quickly and the findings and
recommendations implemented as soon as possible. This would enable the EC to
return to stability and effective operations while securing the necessary conditions for
its structural reforms.
6. It is our considered opinion that if these recommendations are implemented without delay,
they would contribute in resolving the leadership crisis in the EC and secure the necessary
conditions for its continuous and smooth operation.
7. We wish to call on the major political parties, the media and the general public to stop further
politicization of the problems of the EC and to lend all the support required to quickly restore
the EC to normalcy. A stable and effective EC is key to the sustenance of democratic stability
in Ghana and it is incumbent on all of us to support the EC to restore its integrity and
independence successfully.
Maj. Gen. Nii Carl COLEMAN (Rtd) Dr. Emmanuel AKWETEY
CFI Chairman IDEG Executive Director