[ 2016-10-24 ]

Unsigned Pink Sheets would not invalidate results - EC
The Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana has advised
party agents accredited to polling stations to
desist from the practice of not signing the
Declaration of Results form (pink sheet).
The Commission said the refusal of polling agents
to sign the pink sheet did not, in any way,
invalidate the results of the elections.

Mr Anthony Nyame, Central Regional Deputy Director
of the EC, said this during a day’s Capacity
Building workshop for Media Practitioners on
“Election Reportage and Highlights of the
Constitutional Instrument 91 (C.I. 91)” in Cape
Coast.

The workshop which was supported by the United
States Agency for International Development
(USAID) formed part of preparation by the EC
towards the successful conduct of the 2016 general
elections.

The training was to equip media practitioners with
the requisite knowledge to have a better
understanding of the electoral system also to
remind them of their roles and responsibilities
towards a successful election.

The media practitioners were taken through
accreditation procedures, voting processes,
election monitoring and evaluation and the
nomination of candidates for presidential and
parliamentary elections.

Mr Nyame said some polling agents deliberately
refused to sign the pink sheet when the result was
not in favour of their candidates and urged them
to cooperate with the EC to clear suspicions and
doubts of the election results.

He said polling agents were only to observe the
electoral system and that they did not have the
power to instruct electoral officials but could
only draw their attention to any abnormalities.

He said, “in situations where they do not want
to sign the pink sheet, they must state clearly
their reasons for not signing”.

He said polling agents have the privilege to call
for a re-count at the polling station and at the
coalition centre whenever they were unsatisfied
with the results.

Mr Nyame reminded the journalist that polling
stations remained restricted areas as they were
security zones and media houses were expected to
have accreditation to access such areas.

He urged them to apply for accreditation ahead of
time to avoid any embarrassment during the
exercise.

Mrs Pauline Adobea Dadzawa, a member of the
Commission, said the errors committed by the
disqualified presidential aspirants could have
been avoided if they had been vigilant.

Mr Christian Owusu-Parry, Director of
Administration at the EC, cautioned media
practitioners against forecasting the winners
during the general election.

Source - Graphiconline

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