Aggrieved CSOs worried over denial of accreditation as Observers
Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Ghana have expressed worry over denial of accreditation as election Observers.
They claimed to have applied for the accreditation to deploy Observers for the upcoming 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Ghana.
Some of the affected CSOs include the CENCOR, Jatikay Centre, HSRCGh and FESF Foundation.
At a joint Press Conference held in Accra, the Spokesperson for the affected CSOs, Mr. Adib Saani (Executive Director of Jatikay Centre) described as “rather surprising and worrying” for the EC Chairperson to resort to an arbitrary and dictatorial denial of accreditation to several domestic CSOs that have applied for accreditation to deploy Election Observers to the polling stations in the December 7 elections.
The group said the participation of CSOs in the elections through the deployment of accredited election observers, both domestic and international, had been a critical tool for assuaging the anxieties of members of the political parties to resort to violence.
Mr Saani and his group emphasized that the conduct of the EC Chairperson was not only a breach of the rights of the affected organizations to participate and contribute to ensuring the free, fair, and credible electoral process, but also raised critical questions about the EC’s commitment to an open and democratic election process.
They said their organisations had never been denied accreditation since 2008, and therefore did not understand why this was done to them this year.
They said following the complexities of the 2024 general election, especially, the mistrust surrounding the EC’s operation, it was critical for the CSOs and other independent bodies to actively monitor the elections and provide credible and independent assessments of the work of the EC.
The CSOs therefore urged the Electoral Commission to grant accreditation to all qualified CSOs that had applied to deploy Observers during the 2024 elections.
“The issues of non-intimidation, transparency, accountability, and credibility of the electoral process have always been major determinants of whether elections in Ghana are free, fair, peaceful and devoid of violence and killings”.
Source: GNA