Author: Nicholas Akussah
The Election Situation Room (ESR) has observed that Ghana’s 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections were conducted in a conducive environment, despite some isolated incidents.
According to Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the ESR and National Peace Council, who addressed the media at its final briefing today, Sunday 8th December, 2024, the voting process proceeded without major complaints and in accordance with the electoral process.
The Electoral Commission (EC) had prepared for the elections by compiling a Voters Register with 18,774,159 registered Ghanaians, comprising 9,689,980 (51.6%) females and 9,084,179 (48.4%) males.
The EC accredited 13 candidates for the presidential election and 801 candidates for the parliamentary election.
The elections were conducted in all 40,976 polling stations across the country.
Despite some delays in the opening of polling stations, most EC officials observed all laid-out electoral procedures outlined by law.
The ESR observed that 66.2% of polling stations opened on time, while 33.8% were delayed due to security, technical, or logistical challenges.
The presence of male and female security personnel was also observed at the polling stations.
He mentioned that, the voting process was largely peaceful, with 98.7% of reports indicating that voters were verified using the Biometric Verification Device (BVD) or manually.
However, some incidents were recorded, including a shooting incident at Nyankpala in the Northern Region, which resulted in one death and one person injured.
The ESR has commended all Ghanaians for their patriotism and patience in the electoral process.
The ESR has also applauded the efforts of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, the political parties, the National Election Security Taskforce, civil society organisations, women, youth groups, and the media for their contribution towards the relatively peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.
The ESR has recommended that political parties continue to cooperate with the Electoral Commission and the National Election Security Taskforce to ensure a smooth running of the outstanding collation processes.
The ESR has also encouraged political parties to encourage their supporters to be law-abiding and peaceful during the post-election period.
In conclusion, the ESR has observed that Ghana’s 2024 elections were conducted in a conducive environment, despite some isolated incidents.
The ESR has commended all stakeholders for their contribution towards the peaceful elections and has recommended that they continue to cooperate to ensure a smooth transition.
