The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana will publish guidelines for addressing irregularities during the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections. For the first time, these guidelines will be made available on the EC’s website, providing transparency and clarity on the process.

The guidelines will cover key areas such as:

– Handling of over-voting
– Mismatched reconciliation
– Incomplete or incorrectly filled-in results forms

This move marks a significant departure from previous elections, where guidelines were only available to election officers. By publishing the guidelines on its website, the EC aims to promote accountability and confidence in the electoral process.

Additionally, the EC will develop the guidelines into a postcard format, making it easily accessible to election officers and observers. Detailed polling station results, including those from all levels of collation, will be published on the EC’s website within 21 days of the election, enabling timely filing of election petitions.

The Director of Training at the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, announced these measures at a forum organized by the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) in Accra. The forum aimed to brief participants on the guidelines for addressing potential irregularities during the counting and collation process.

The EC’s efforts align with the 18 recommendations made by the European Union Election Observation Mission after the 2020 elections, aimed at strengthening Ghana’s democratic framework. By addressing challenges observed in previous elections, the EC seeks to ensure a credible, fair, and peaceful election in 2024.