CODEO Projects Very Close Election and Calls on All Parties to Remain Calm

1) CODEO observers reported a higher number of problems and lapses in the December 28 runoff election than the presidential and general elections of December 7. Two main factors account for that: the extremely high stakes nature of the presidential runoff election in which only one party could win; and the short time available for the Electoral Commission to organize the second round.

2) CODEO has analyzed information from the parallel vote tabulation (PVT) exercise gathered by its rapid response observers (RROs). Data from its representative random sample of more than 1,000 polling stations from 229 constituencies indicate that the election results are extremely close and the results are likely to be decided by less than a percentage point.

As with the presidential and general elections of December 7, CODEO observers reported many lapses in the voting process in the presidential runoff election of December 28, including setting up and opening of polling stations, voting and vote counting. However, the problems reported by CODEO observers do not fundamentally undermine the integrity of the overall process.

RECOMMENDATIONS

3) To ensure that all Ghanaians are able to exercise their right to vote and the results of the presidential election reflect the will of the people, the Electoral Commission must immediately conduct elections at all the polling stations in the Tain constituency in Brong Ahafo where voting did not take place on 28 December. Ideally, this must occur before the EC officially announces the results-since the country as a whole is one constituency for the presidential election.

4) The Electoral Commission must swiftly and decisively resolve the concerns raised by political contestants concerning the conduct of the presidential runoff election. Any recounts or re-collations should be conducted without delay.

5) CODEO calls upon the Electoral Commission to do its best to issue polling station results along with the overall results to ensure that the official results of this highly competitive election are accepted by all parties, their supporters as well as the general public. While the Electoral Commission is not required to take such a step, the release of polling stations results would significantly reduce post election tensions while reinforcing confidence in the Electoral Commission’s impartiality.

6) We call on Ghanaians, including leaders of political parties and their supporters, to continue to place confidence in the Electoral Commission.

7) Above all, we encourage the two presidential candidates and their respective political parties to accept the official results. We encourage the victors to be magnanimous. The president-elect when sworn in will be president of all Ghanaians during the coming four years and must therefore move quickly beyond the partisan politics of the electoral cycle to earn the support of all Ghanaians.

Signed:

Professor Miranda Greenstreet and Justice VCRAC Crabbe,

Joint Chairpersons

(For and on Behalf of the Advisory Board)

CODEO Secretariat, Sunday, December 29 2008, 1:30pm

For more information, please contact any of the following telephone numbers: 0243387094; 0244692301; 0243661350; 0244665065

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