Accra, Dec. 23, GNA- The Centre for Africa Development and Progress (CADeP), a Civic Society Organization, has called for the amendment of the country’s constitution to bar Presidents from appointing into office chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).
The Centre recommended that persons from within Parliament, the Judiciary, the Peace Council, the Universities and other reputable institutions be allowed to vote neutral and selfless candidates as Commissioners and Chairperson of the Commission.
In a statement issued and signed by Mr Johanes Koku Nyagblordzro, Executive Chairman of CADeP and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, said it would eliminate the propensity of the Commission to please the President and work in a more independent environment.
The statement followed recent attacks raised against the integrity, fairness and the credibility of the office of the Electoral Commission (EC) after the 2020 elections.
It said the Centre for Africa Development and Progress (CADeP) at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Accra on the 21st December, 2020, held that, “The EC plays an integral part in governance and democracy of the country and must not only be fair, but seen to be a neutral arbiter.
“We are optimistic that when article 70 of the 1992 Constitution, which empowers the President to make most appointments, including; the Electoral Commissioners is amended it will go a long way to ensure that the Commissioners are directly responsible to the people of Ghana instead of playing to the whims and caprices of the president,” the statement added.
It further added that the Centre was optimistic protestations and criticisms witnessed on the Commission would be avoided if the Commission was truly independent.
The statement urged Ghanaians to guard the peace the country enjoyed.
