Petitioners file address at Supreme Court

The Petitioners challenging the 2012 Presidential election results on Tuesday completed filing their written addresses with the Registrar at the Supreme Court.

The filing of the written submissions is in-line with the Supreme Court’s order of July 17, 2013.

The completion of the filing process by the Petitioners means that all is set for the Court hearing on Wednesday July 31, 2013.

The written address by the Petitioners is about 176 pages including the citation of over 60 authorities to spell out their case.

The case of the three petitioners is mainly on the facts and figures on the pink sheets and the official document that the Electoral Commission relied on to declare the results of the presidential poll held on the 7and 8 December.

They have also grounded their case on clear breaches of the Constitution and other electoral laws and practices in Ghana.

The address by the petitioners reiterates the six main categories of irregularities, malpractices, violations and omissions in various combinations, which affected the results of the election in 11,842 polling stations.

The petitioners believe that the final decision of the Supreme Court will have a fundamental and far reaching consequences for the future of democracy in Ghana, as “it will either affirm the commitment of citizens to our democratic journey and bolster their confidence in democratic institutions and the rule of law or undermine their belief in political and legal institutions of the nation”.

The petitioners stated that the weight of the evidence adduced at trial and the force of legal arguments advanced in this address that there were substantial constitutional and statutory violations, malpractices and irregularities in the 2012 Presidential Election and these violations, malpractices and irregularities had a material effect on the results of the election as declared by the Second Respondent.

Source: GNA