The African Electoral Institute has called on the Ghana Armed Forces not to deploy Military personnel to polling stations and coalition centers in the December 7 polls.
AEI said deployment of Military personnel to polling stations and coalition centers can lead to unfortunate incidents and erode the trust in the electoral process, leading to disputed election outcomes and potential unrest.
“The African Electoral Institute calls for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) NOT TO BE DEPLOYED in the coming general elections on 7th December 2024. This call has become very necessary due to some of the unfortunate incidents that occurred in the 7th December 2020 general elections with the Ghana Armed Forces involvement notably in Techiman and elsewhere in the country.” The AEI said in a statement.
Below is the full statement:
THE GHANA ARMED FORCES( GAF) SHOULD NOT BE DEPLOYED TO POLLING AND COLLATION CENTRES FOR THE 7th DECEMBER 2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS EXCEPT THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE AND OTHERS.*
1.The African Electoral Institute calls for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) NOT TO BE DEPLOYED in the coming general elections on 7th December 2024.
This call has become very necessary due to some of the unfortunate incidents that occurred in the 7th December 2020 general elections with the Ghana Armed Forces involvement notably in Techiman and elsewhere in the country.
2.The African Electoral Institute is of the view that the Military (GAF) should be left to play their primary role of defending the country’s territorial borders , whether by land, Sea or Air from any foreign attack or invasion.
3.The Institute views the full participation in general elections by the Military as taking them away from their core duties as stated above. Thus, bringing the military so close to their civilian counterparts has the potential to influence their way of doing things which can bring their reputation as a *neutral body* into question depending on which political lenses one is wearing.
Therefore, when the neutrality of the Military is brought into question, it raises national security concerns.
4.Another reason why the African Electoral Institute is suggesting that the Military should not take frontline duties especially at Polling and Collation Centers during general elections or any other elections especially at particular regions and constituencies is that, some political actors or some members of the public see their presence as *intimidating* and this can lead to low voter turnout ie deterring some voters from coming out to cast their ballots.
5.The Institute also believes that the active involvement of the Military during elections has the possibility to erode the trust in the electoral process, leading to disputed election outcomes and potential unrest.
We all agree that elections can only be said to be free, fair, transparent, and accountable if they are organized or conducted in accordance with democratic and civilian principles by the Electoral Commission.
6.The African Electoral Institute by issuing this statement is calling on the Electoral Commission to collaborate with the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and all electoral management bodies including the Security Services, National Security and all political stakeholders to come together to discuss this matter further , to come out with the best way forward to make sure that some of the unfortunate incidents that took place in the 2020 general elections in which some Ghanaian voters lost their lives, never recurs come 7th December 2024.
7.Let us together allow elections to be managed and overseen by civilian authorities such as the Electoral Commission with collaborations from other electoral stakeholders, devoid of the heavy presence of the Military which is interpreted as a kind of intimidation tactics masterminded by the ruling government for unfair advantage for its candidates.
8.The AEI equally want the Ghana Police Service (GPS) who are mandated by the 1992 Constitution to be responsible for all Internal Security Operations (ISO) to move and take their rightful place come 7th December 2024.
9.In conclusion, the African Electoral Institute states emphatically that since the beginning of the fourth Republic in 1992, the Military has not been a core part of Ghana’s elections until 2020 general elections were the Military was involved and precious lives lost.
The African Electoral Institute hereby re-emphasis that the fundamental principle of democratic elections is that they should be conducted in a civilian-led manner because, the involvement of the military in elections can lead to voter intimidation, and voter suppression, thereby undermining the integrity and credibility of a mere civil process which must reflect the will of the people.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
