The Electoral Commission (EC) is getting ready to continue collating results for the unaccounted-for constituencies from the December 7 elections, and the National Election Security Task Force has announced the deployment of military forces to help the police secure collation centers.
This decision comes after the EC criticized the task force for allegedly not providing enough protection in the early phases of the collation process, which resulted in the exercise being suspended.
The election security task force’s spokesperson, ACP Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Public Affairs for the Ghana Police Service, stressed the task force’s dedication to upholding order at the collation centers during a press briefing on Friday, December 20.
ACP Ansah-Akrofi cautioned that political actors risk escalating tensions and endangering the process’s integrity if they encourage their supporters to congregate at these sites.
She reassured the public that the EC will be able to carry out its duties without interference in a secure setting thanks to the combined police and military deployment.
“The Task Force has assured the Electoral Commission of its readiness to provide the necessary security for the outstanding collation exercises. Only individuals accredited by the Commission will be allowed access to the collation centres, and any non-accredited persons will not be permitted at these locations,” ACP Ansah-Akrofi said.
She also exhorted everyone involved to work with security forces for the sake of democracy and peace.
“We have put Ghana’s peace and security first throughout this election period, and we will continue to do so in this critical post-election phase,” she added.
The task force’s resolve to protect the collation process and preserve the ideals of a free, fair, and peaceful election process is demonstrated by this deployment.
