Former Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has called for harsher penalties for individuals who commit electoral offences, particularly when they are electoral officials.
He stressed that those who engage in such misconduct must face severe consequences, especially given their professional responsibilities.
Speaking at a forum during the Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi on Tuesday, Dr. Afari-Gyan remarked, “Since voters determine the outcome in a democratic election, their choices are paramount, and every valid vote is crucial in reflecting the will of the people.”
He added, “Those who commit serious election offences, especially if they are experienced election officials or electronic experts, should face strict penalties for undermining the people’s will, potentially even constituting a treasonable act.”
Dr. Afari-Gyan also criticized the practice of invalidating votes in disputed areas rather than conducting a rerun of the elections.
He argued that elections should be rerun in contested regions to accurately reflect the voters’ intentions, asserting that discarding valid ballots undermines the democratic process and is unacceptable.
“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.”
Dr Afari Gyan intimated that the “right thing to do is to rerun the election for the people to decide. The decision is the people’s decision.
“It is not the election officials’ decision. It is not the judge’s decision. The democratic election is the people who decide.”
