CDD survey reveals: Ghanaians have confidence in Electoral Commission
Majority of citizens surveyed have expressed confidence in the integrity and competence of the Electoral Commission (EC) and its ability to deliver free and fair elections
At least 67 percent of Ghanaians have expressed confidence in the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a free and fair election on 7 December 2020.
“They deem the EC’s level of preparedness, together with other election-related state and non-state agencies (particularly the military and police), adequate. Most importantly, they express broad confidence in the EC and allied bodies’ ability to deliver credible Election 2020,” according to a survey conducted by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana).
“Levels of trust in the EC and other non-party state and non-state bodies directly and indirectly involved in delivering peaceful elections with credible outcomes are generally high, particularly for the military, police, and media,” the findings said.
However, the pre-election survey pointed out that there was considerable apprehension about violence by party and candidate supporters.
“They remain concerned about the activities of party vigilantes – which is underscored by the desire of 8 in 10 respondents in our survey for armed security personnel present at the polling stations. Serious concerns remain about the integrity of the vote count and result transmission process. A large minority – more than 4 in 10 – express concerns about the wrong vote tally being announced, and about a third are not confident that their vote would be counted (concerns that are far higher than 2016). This is the likely reason why a substantial majority of respondents want to see independent domestic and international observers present for the polls.”
EC ready for polls
Of the 2,400 respondents, who participated in the survey conducted between 28 September and 16 October 2020, 83 percent said they believe the EC is well prepared to conduct the upcoming elections, despite opposition backlash during the voter’s registration exercise.
“Your incompetence is legendary. There is so much chaos and disorder and it has a potential to create chaos in this country,” former president, John Mahama, told the EC chairperson, Jean Mensa, during the exercise back in September.
However, the director for advocacy and policy at CDD-Ghana, Dr. Kojo Asante, believes the high approval rating from Ghanaians should boost the confidence of the EC ahead of the general polls.
“It is important for the EC because we have gone through a fraught registration process, but at the end, it is good that you get the public to express their own views,” Dr. Asante told Asaase News.
The CDD-Ghana survey was conducted in 206 villages and towns and drawn from 166 districts across the country.
Fred Dzakpata
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