The National Peace Council is facing growing criticism for its perceived bias and failure to intervene in the Electoral Commission’s (EC) controversial decision to re-collate election results after the declaration was made.
Political commentators and critics have called out the council for not taking a stronger stance during the election process, which they believe may have contributed to the tension and chaos surrounding the results.
Speaking on ABC MIDDAY NEWS on Monday, governance expert, Richard Fiadomor criticized the Peace Council for either being biased towards the New Patriotic Party (NPP) or for being unhappy with the election results.
“They are either biased or not happy with the election result,” he said.
“But I thought the Peace Council should have stepped in and taken a more active role. They sat down, didn’t take any action, and allowed the EC to perpetrate these illegalities.”
The critic specifically pointed out that the Constitution Instrument (CI) does not give the EC the power to re-collate results after they have been declared. He said that the Peace Council should have cautioned the EC against taking this course of action and insisted that any disputes should be resolved in court.
“Once the declaration is made, the EC has no further role. The matter should have gone to the law courts,” he added.
He commended the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for refraining from reacting aggressively in the collation centers, stating that had the NDC reacted in the same manner as the EC, it could have led to chaos and violence.
“If the NDC had also reacted in equal measure, it could have brought a chaotic and violent situation,” he said, pointing to the potential for unrest had cooler heads not prevailed.
The critic also stressed that the peace pact signed by political parties was meant to apply throughout the election process, including the parliamentary elections, and not just the presidential race. He argued that the Peace Council and security forces failed to uphold the pact, allowing “hooligans” to wreak havoc at collation centers and destroy ballot boxes.
“The Peace Council and the security failed us,” he declared. “How do you allow hooligans at collation centers to destroy ballot boxes?”
In his assessment, he placed much of the blame for the unrest on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), stating that “75 to 80% of the blame goes to the IGP, and 20% goes to the Peace Council.”
He concluded by urging that the final decision on the re-collation issue should be left to the courts. “Let the court be the final arbiter in this matter,” he said.
The Peace Council’s role in maintaining peace throughout the electoral process has been called into question, particularly in the aftermath of the controversies surrounding the re-collation of results for certain parliamentary seats. ABC News GH poses the question: Should the Peace Council re-engage political parties to ensure peace is maintained not only during the election but also in the aftermath of contentious issues like the re-collation?
