EC denies printing excess ballot papers amid NDC allegations
The Electoral Commission of Ghana has recently addressed concerns about the printing of excess ballot papers for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Dr. Bossman Asare, Deputy Chairperson of the EC, denied allegations of secretly printing ballot papers, calling them "complete lies".
He emphasized that the exact numbers of ballots allocated to each region and constituency are known and shared with political parties and candidates.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) had expressed concerns over the EC's decision to commence printing ballot papers without releasing a certified voter register or accurate ballot statistics.
However, the EC maintains that the printing process is transparent, with party agents present to monitor the process.
This is on the backdrop of allegations made by Richard Dzakpa, an NDC agent supervisor, who alleged that printing houses produced 3,000 extra ballots per constituency in key regions. Dzakpa suggested a sinister motive, citing "too much coincidence" in regions favoring the ruling party and leading presidential candidates.
Dr. Bossman Asare on Friday, October 31, refuted the allegations while on a media tour of printing houses engaged to print ballots for the 2024 general election.
“This is the particular number going to this region, this is the particular number going to this constituency, so if you hear anywhere that the Electoral Commission has printed more than the necessary ballots, that’s a complete lie, because the parties are aware, they know the ballot statistics for each region, for each constituency, and in this year’s election what the Commission said is that we are giving each constituency an increase of two percent, and that’s what we are printing.
“So if you hear anywhere that oh the EC has printed excess of 2,000, 3,000 it’s not true. The parties are here and the party agents themselves can testify that indeed the numbers the EC has given to the parties, that’s what we are printing, that’s what the printing houses are printing, and that’s what EC officials are also checking, the parties are also checking.
“And as I indicated, when we finish, all the ballots for each constituency, as far as each region is concerned will be bagged and the parties are going to have their seals on the bags, the EC is also going to have its seals on the bags. So everything is very, very transparent.”
“It’s too much of a coincidence to have their two strongholds, and where the two flagbearers come from, printing in excess of 3,000 per constituency as internal printing house operational losses,” he alleged.
Source: Lead News Online
