The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), in its mid-day situational report on Ghana’s 2020 elections, has noted adequate arrangements for the setup and opening of polls for most polling stations by the Election Commission (EC).
It pointed out incidents such as the issuance of ballot papers with some candidates missing in the Awutu Senya West Constituency in the Central Region and the Alhaji Salam Grinding Mill polling station at Bawku Central in the Upper East Region.
Summary of Findings
CODEO Observers met 87.2% of election officials present at their assigned polling stations upon arrival. The remaining 12.8% were not available at the polling stations.
72.5% of the polling stations had the required number of 6 election officials, 18.6% of them had 5 officials, 5.9% had 4 officials, and 2.3% had 1 to 3 officials.
In 98.2% of polling stations, electoral officials allowed the CODEO observers to execute their duties as accredited election observers without interference.
Reports from CODEO observers showed that voting generally commenced on time.
Set up for polls
CODEO observers indicated that 91.8% of polling stations were set up to allow voters to mark their ballots in secret.
94.4% of all polling stations were accessible to persons with disabilities and the elderly.
CODEO observers also indicated that the presidential and parliamentary ballot boxes were shown to be empty, sealed, and placed in public view before voting commenced in all polling stations.
The Police topped the list of security officials deployed for the election followed by uniformed personnel from other security services, the Ghana Armed Forces, and National Security.
Observer reports also revealed that security personnel were unarmed in 62.1% of polling stations.
CODEO observers found COVID-19 safety materials available at most polling stations
Reported Incidents
The election observers have reported some incidents of non-compliance with COVID-19 protocols, harassment of some voters and polling station officials, and non-functioning Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs).
They also witnessed supporters of the NPP and NDC hanging around polling stations after voting trying to convince voters to vote for their party in the Manguam Polling Station in the Lower Manya Krobo constituency in the Eastern Region.
They noticed some persons being allowed into the cordoned area to speak with EC officials, which halted the voting process for about 5-10 minutes.
Conclusions and Recommendations
From the foregoing, CODEO in this preliminary situational report can confidently confirm that the arrangements put in place by the EC for the setup and opening of polls were adequate for most polling stations.
CODEO is continuing to receive reports from its network of nationally deployed observers and will continue to release updated reports.
Finally, CODEO appeals to all Ghanaians to remain calm and be law-abiding throughout the country and continue to respect the COVID-19 safety protocols.
