Presidential candidate of the Liberty Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo has raised concerns about current state of ballot papers for the 2024 presidential election.
Mr. Akpaloo is worried that featuring deceased presidential candidate of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Akua Donkor’s image on the ballot papers could mislead voters and potentially interfere in the outcome of the December 7 election.
The GFP announced the death of its founder and presidential candidate, Akua Donkor after reportedly suffering a short illness, sparking discussions about the order of political parties on the ballot paper.
But the Electoral Commission (EC) recently announced its resolve to maintain the ballot papers as they were and not reprint them due to monetary concerns and the timing of the election.
However, Mr. Akpoloo is of the view that the EC should disregard the concern about money and do what he said is right, thus, reprinting the ballot papers.
“Having a ballot paper with Akua Donkor’s picture is going to create a whole lot of problems in the country. People are going to vote for Akua Donkor, of whom we are all aware that she is not alive,” Mr. Akpaloo stated. “Are we going to say that those votes cast for her will be ignored, or are they going to be counted? We don’t want a situation where a losing candidate might challenge the results because of percentages.”
“Leaving her image on the ballot raises questions about the electoral process’s integrity and would certainly affect voter perceptions,” he said during a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, November 13.
“They should forget about the money involved, let’s do the right thing that would create a peaceful environment in this country,” he added.
Moreover, he has rebutted the concept of re-balloting, stating that it is not necessary given that the GFP has not presented a candidate following their leader’s death. Therefore, the EC should reprint the ballot papers which should see the GFP party taken out, he explained.
“No, we don’t need the re-ballloting. It’s like when you take the Parliamentary arrangement. If a party is not presenting a candidate in a particular constituency, that place is removed and it is pushed up, so the same thing applies here. So far as they (GFP) are not contesting this election, all that we have to do is take their portion out and push the position up.”
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