The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs Jean Mensa has said that the commission members are not in office to do the bidding of President Akufo-Addo.
According
to her, they were in office to serve the nation, and in doing so,
they were determined to be fair to all.
Mrs
Mensa said this in Accra Tuesday [December 3, 2019] at the
inauguration of a 21-member Eminent Advisory Committee to, among
other things, enhance interactions between the EC and Ghanaians
As
a commission, she said “we are determined to ensure a level playing
field for stakeholders; the political parties. We are determined to
be fair, transparent and accessible to all - not to one political
party or a few, but to all.”
“Indeed
since our assumption of office, we have been trying our best to do
just that. To this end, we have held regular IPAC meetings where we
present our activities in an open and transparent manner. We have
ensured regular information sharing with all our stakeholders and we
have maintained an open-door policy. And yet, notwithstanding these
and other efforts, suspicion about our independence remains high,"
she said.
“I
believe that this suspicion is linked to the mode of appointment of
public holders such as ourselves. As a result of a sitting president
appointing us, it is perceived that we are here to do the president’s
bidding. I am here to assure you all that this commission is not cast
in that mould.”
Mrs
Mensa said the EC was instituting systems and structures to
ensure credibility in the country’s elections.
“We
recently introduced a code of conduct to guide and regulate all field
officers of the EC, both temporary and permanent. The code governs
our operations in the field before, during and after elections and
includes stringent sanctions upon staff who violate its provisions,”
she said.
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