Kojo Asante, Director of Energy Policy and Advocacy at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has urged the national election security task force to provide a clear and transparent plan for deploying military and police personnel to polling stations for the 2024 general elections.
Asante stressed the importance of defining the distinct roles of the Ghana Police Service and the Military in managing election-related activities before, during, and after voting.
He emphasized that clearly outlining their responsibilities is crucial to preventing misunderstandings and ensuring a secure and peaceful election environment.
This call comes in response to concerns raised by various stakeholders, including National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama, who has strongly opposed the presence of military or armed national security personnel at polling stations, arguing that it could create fear and distrust among voters.
Speaking at a Stakeholders Forum on promoting peaceful elections on Tuesday, November 5, Asante highlighted the need for a well-defined deployment strategy, noting that such a plan would reassure the public and ensure that the duties of each security agency are clear on election day, December 7.
“We’re trying to get some clarity on the arrangements for the deployment of the army around elections. We need to find out if it’s the police who will take over because the way the police operate is different from the army, in terms of handling crowds.
Normally, when the army comes in it means the police are overwhelmed. Their operating procedure is also different from the police.”
