The decision by the Electoral Commission to restrict the number of accredited media outlets permitted at polling places on December 7 has been put on hold.
Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Commissioner, made the announcement of the suspension during Wednesday’s “Graphic National Development Series” in Accra.
Following negotiations with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), which expressed concerns, the decision was made.
Dr. Asare promised that more discussions will be held in order to create a new policy regarding media access to collation centers.
According to him, the first objective was to efficiently handle the procedure rather than to limit media attention.
“The EC did that because we wanted to prevent chaos at the collation centres…We should not forget that you can be in a particular region and there will be about 400 media houses, and the collation centre may be smaller.
“So, if we want to give unimpeded access to all the media houses, we may end up having challenges…so we issued that statement just to ensure orderliness at the collation centres, and not to restrict the media from reporting on the elections” he noted.
In a memo dated November 25, 2024, the Commission stated, among other things, that eight media outlets will have accreditation to cover the constituency’ collation efforts.
Speaking at the forum, Dr. Asare insisted that the EC will not compromise the media’s ability to guarantee free and fair elections.
The Electoral Commission (EC) sought to either retain or increase the 79 percent voter turnout that was observed in the 2020 elections, according to Dr. Bossman Asare.
He gave his word that, like in other years, the Commission was dedicated to making sure the election was successful.
Along with highlighting the EC’s election preparations, the Deputy Commissioner urged electors to register to vote on election day.
“For every registered voter, the Commission has printed a Presidential and Parliamentary ballot for you…so if it means you have to travel to Tamale or any part of the country to vote, please do it…and that will be your civic responsibility as a Ghanaian,” he said.
In order to help avoid disruption at polling places, he asked candidates and political parties to train their agents on the electoral process.
Dr. Asare stated that the 2024 elections would “reflect the will of the people” because it had “no interest” in the election and emphasized cooperation with security services to guarantee sanity won out at the polls.
“Sustaining Civic & Democratic Governance Systems for Development, Mandate of All Citizens” was the theme of the Graphic National Development Series.
Among other things, the forum seeks to influence policy and foster national agreement on topics.
The Managing Director of Graphic Communications Group, Mr. Ato Afful, emphasized the organization’s dedication to advancing democratic and civic government as well as open and accountable governance.
He urged young people to appropriately fulfill their civic responsibilities ahead of the December elections and asked political players to put the interests of the country ahead of their own partisanship and local interests.
