The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday outlined
modalities for declaring a duly elected candidate either at the
Presidential or Parliamentary elections and called on all to adhere
to the procedure.
The EC in a document stated that: “except where a candidate
is declared elected unopposed, the winner of a parliamentary
election would be decided on a simple plurality or first-past-the
post basis.
“This means that the candidate who obtains the highest number
of valid votes cast wins the election.”
The EC reiterated that the winner of a presidential election
must obtain at least 50per cent plus one of the total valid votes
cast.
The Commission explains that in event of a run-off; it shall
be conducted between the candidates who obtained the two highest
numbers of votes within 21 days after the declaration of the
result.
On the issue of Vice President, the EC said a person is
deemed elected Vice-President when the Presidential Candidate who
designated him/her as the running mate is duly
elected.
The EC explained that the results of a presidential election
are officially declared through a Constitutional Instrument (CI)
signed by the EC’s Chairman.
It said the result of parliamentary elections would be
officially declared by Gazette notification.
The EC said a citizen of Ghana may challenge the validity of
the election of the President in the Supreme Court within 21 days
after the result has been declared.
“A citizen of Ghana may challenge the validity of the
election of a Member of Parliament in the High Court, within 21
days after the result has been declared, with a right of appeal to
the Appeal Court”.
According to the EC three things are particularly noteworthy
from the description of what happens from the voting period through
the counting of the ballots to the declaration of the results of
the elections.
The EC said the process leading to the declaration of the
final results of the elections are thoroughly decentralized and
transparent.
In the case of a presidential election, the results are first
declared at the more than 20,000 polling stations then at the 275
constituency centres and next at the 10 regional capitals before
they are finally transmitted to the EC's Head Officer in
Accra.
In effect the EC Commissioners in Accra are the last to see
the results and cannot, therefore, alter them.
