Dr. Bossman Asare, the Electoral Commission’s Deputy Chair in charge of Corporate Services, has strongly defended the Commission’s neutrality, following intense criticism surrounding the decision to rerun parliamentary elections in 19 polling stations within the Ablekuma North Constituency.
“We state categorically that Ghana’s electoral management body is an independent body and will not be dictated to by any institution or any person.
“Our track record speaks for itself,” he told journalists in Accra on Thursday, July 10.
His comments come in the wake of backlash from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which has accused the Commission of acting unfairly and favoring the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) ahead of the July 11 rerun.
While the NPP officially announced a boycott of the process, its parliamentary candidate, Nana Akua Afriyie, has defied the party’s directive and declared her intention to participate.
The EC’s decision was further reinforced by the High Court’s ruling on the matter.
Justice Ali Baba Abature dismissed an application by Nana Akua Afriyie seeking to halt the rerun.
In his ruling, the judge asserted that stopping the EC would undermine its constitutional mandate, emphasizing that “the balance of convenience lies in allowing the EC to fulfill its obligation to ensure that the people of Ablekuma North are duly represented in Parliament.”
The rerun, scheduled for Thursday, July 11, covers 19 polling stations whose results from the December 7, 2024, general elections remain disputed due to irregularities, including unauthenticated pink sheets.
