“It is not acceptable to cancel out some validly cast ballots” – Afari Gyan

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, the former chair of the Electoral Commission (EC), has challenged the choice to annul legally cast ballots in contested regions rather than have a rerun election.

Dr. Afari-Gyan is of the opinion that in order to authentically represent the will of the people, elections in disputed regions should be rerun.

He emphasized that it is wrong and undermines the democratic process to throw away legal ballots.

Speaking outside the Ghana Bar Association’s Annual General Conference in Kumasi, the former chairman of the EC reaffirmed that legitimately cast ballots in these situations should not be disregarded.

“Another implication is that it is not acceptable to cancel out some validly cast ballots. In some places, sometimes called wasted votes.

“In Nigeria, there is a doctrine of wasted votes that is used and they throw away a lot of ballots and discarding. It is not the correct thing to do. When you cancel the ballots, you may be punishing some people for no offence whatsoever. They have not committed any offence.”

The “right thing to do is to rerun the election so that the people may decide,” suggested Dr. Afari Gyan. The people have made the decision.

“It is not the election officials’ decision. It is not the judge’s decision. The democratic election is the people who decide.”

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com