EC launches electoral safeguards

The Electoral Commission (EC) has launched a project “ Safeguarding the Integrity of the Ballot”, which is aimed at deepening the commitment of presidential and parliamentary candidates and their agents to the outcome of the December polls.
It seeks to do this by providing information to and building the capacity of the candidates and their agents through the provision of enhanced knowledge about the in-built integrity of the electoral process.
The activities for the project include training programmes for presidential and parliamentary candidates, dialogue between EC members, presidential candidates, their running mates and their party chairmen, training workshops for polling agents and the publication of guidelines for candidates and their agents.
The project is being financed by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and being facilitated by the KAB Governance Consult.
As the first step, the EC distributed copies of the guide on roles and responsibilities towards a free and transparent election to political parties, candidates and their polling agents.
The 20-page document, titled “A guide to Candidates and their Agents”, is divided into three parts. The first contains information about what it required to qualify as a presidential or parliamentary candidate as well as other pertinent information for candidates.
The second part deals with the importance of polling station agents and the dos and don’ts of a good agent, whiles the third part provides general useful information about elections.
In a forward in the publication, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the Chairman of the EC, said the position of a polling agent was one that demanded trust, not only for the political party or candidates but also for the credibility of the elections.
“If you play your watchdog role well at the polling station, you will contribute immensely to the acceptability of the elections results”, he said.
Addressing the gathering, he announced that the EC had published 250,000 copies for the use of the political parties and their agents and urged the political parties to use their guide to educate their polling agents as well as their members.
The project was launched by the Deputy Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs Augustina Akumanyi.