EC position must be advertised, vetted in Parliament - Joyce Bawah

The special aide to President-elect John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, has called for the position of the Electoral Commission (EC) chair to be advertised and vetted in Parliament, citing concerns over incompetence and partisanship in the Commission’s handling of the 2024 elections.

Ahead of the election, the EC faced several irregularities, including issues with biometric verification devices and the recall and reprinting of ballot papers due to a leak of the original ballots.

These problems led to a decline in public trust in the Commission, with many describing it as incompetent.

In an interview with GHOne TV, Mrs. Mogtari suggested that a parliamentary process to appoint the EC chair would help restore professionalism and independence to the Commission.

She emphasised the need for a comprehensive overhaul of the Commission to restore credibility and trust in future elections.

Joyce Mogtari expressed surprise that EC Chairperson Jean Mensa had not resigned after the election declaration, given the Commission’s performance.

She said, “I would have thought that she [Jean Mensa] would resign after the declaration. I don’t understand. But genuinely, considering the performance of the current Electoral Commission, what do you expect? From a very professional standpoint, if we genuinely want to move forward and start a new chapter with an independent EC, as the Constitution intended, let’s advertise the position, vet the candidates, and have Parliament handle the process. This will help remove the partisan outlook of the EC.”