The Electoral Commission has affirmed the 2020 general elections as the most successful in the 4th republic of Ghana.
Addressing a post-election workshop by CODEO, Deputy Director of Elections at the Commission, Michael Boadi, stated that the EC’s procurement method was unprecedented.
“During the registration, we hired not less than 44,000 persons. In the exhibition, we hired over 71,000 exhibition officers and over 231,000 election officers for the election itself. In addition, between 2016 and 2020, we increased the number of polling stations by 10,000. This means that the Commission hired 146,122 more staff working on the exhibition and the election day alone and yet, we managed to reduce the cost per person by almost half,” he said
“For the first time, the ballot papers, BVDs, and the voter registers were sent to the districts two weeks before the election day, as against the past where they get to their destinations a day to the election.”
“With the exception of the printing of the ballot papers which has security implications and the production of TV and radio adverts, all other procurements were done openly through the newspapers. It is important to emphasise that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the cost of the elections, in that we purchased face masks for some 240,000 staff, and also got them other PPE.”
“Again, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our offshore items which had to be transported by air had a further hike in prices from what was paid in 2012, 2016. In 2020, the Commission paid full tax on all its offshore items. This notwithstanding, we managed to reduce the cost of the election by almost half the 2016 amount.”
“It is thus indisputable that the 2020 parliamentary and presidential elections were the most successful, well-coordinated, efficient, and the most peaceful election organised in the 4th Republic of Ghana,” Mr. Boadi added.
Source: GhanaFeed.com
