The Director of Elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has stated that, the Electoral Commission’s (EC) plans to announce results for the 2020 presidential elections 24 hours after polls is unrealistic.
According to the EC boss, Jean Adukwei Mensah, the EC is 95% ready for the 2020 December 7 polls. Also stated further saying, the presidential elections results will be declared 24 hours after the elections.
However, Elvis Afriyie is totally in disagreement with the EC’s plans to declare the election results after 24 hours. He stated that, ” It is about planning and putting in place the mechanisms in terms of logistics because, normally, within two hours of elections, results are declared. What is left is how to convey the results from the various points to the collation centres”.
In addition, the NDC cautioned the EC “not to be in an indecent haste to create any confusion in the declaration of results“. Elvis Ankrah added furthermore in the Press briefing on Wedneday November 25, 2020 saying, ” After the close of polls, the ballots are sorted and counted at every polling station and then signed by both the party agents and the Presiding Officer. When that is done, the results of the polling stations are now sent to the constituency collation centre for the collation of the same in the constituency by the constituency’s Returning Officer. Before the Returning Officer can declare the results, the officer must see all the individual results from all the polling stations”.
In conclusion, he exclaimed that, ”Therefore, before the Electoral Commissioner who is the Returning Officer for the presidential elections declares the results, she must have received all the results from all the 275 constituencies, not the 16 regions and certify that what she has is truly what happened with the signatures of all the political party agents. That is what happens and it is the proper time tested system over the years. So one does not just wake up and say that we will announce just any results in 24 hours just to set a record”.
Source: Vibeweek.com
