From the last week of November, The Ghanaian Times editorials concentrated on the need for peace before, during and after the then upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
The paper pointed it out that claims of peaceful elections could only be made when nothing untoward happened in the lead-up to voting, during the voting day and aftermath of voting.
It, therefore, called on all stakeholders in the elections, particularly the frontline ones like the election management body, the Electoral Commission (EC), and the political parties and the security services to play their roles as they were expected to benefit the whole country.
It could be recalled that in its editorial of December 12, The Ghanaian Times talked about the need to contain the violence that had erupted after the elections.
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Then it joined the commendation for the National Election Security Task Force (NESTF), and maintained that the 'before-and-during-the election test' had excellently been passed but questioned why the "after" test had somehow become a problem.
Today, the paper wishes to ask the EC, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if they think their "after" test is going well or not.
Last Thursday, it became news that the EC was conducting recount of Presidential and Parliamentary election results at the Tesano Police Depot for constituencies whose collation did not follow the legal process as enshrined in C.I. 127.
The EC said its inability to collate and declare results on Election Day, which led to the re-collation at the Tesano Police Depot, was due to disruptions of its collation processes by political party supporters on Election Day and the days following.
It should be noted that the C.I. specifies collation procedures for the constituencies.
On Friday, the EC said it had halted the recount of Presidential and Parliamentary election votes at the Tesano Police Depot.
This is apparently due to some hullabaloo.
The NDC claims that it was not aware of the collation being done at the police depot in Accra of constituencies located in the Eastern Region - Fanteakwa North, Akwatia, Suhum and Nsawam-Adoagyiri constituencies.
The NDC went further to call the recount and re-declaration of results at the Tesano Police Depot as an "illegality."
Meanwhile, the EC claims it had told the political parties of the change of location of the recount to the police depot after an agreement with the Ghana Police Service.
How did the EC inform the parties?
Was it done verbally, through correspondence or through the media?
Maybe the Interparty-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting would have been best so that the EC would have witnesses in the other parties.
In any case, were the party agents who observed the process at the police depot on Thursday officially appointed by their political parties?
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What does the NPP have to say in this matter?
It is good the NDC has indicated its resolve to use legal means to address the matter, in order to avoid any escalation of tension.
While it does so, it should plead with its members and supporters to exercise restraint and wait for the outcome of the legal process.
The NPP too should ask its members and supporters to exercise restraint at the misunderstanding between it and the NDC.
In view of the circumstances, The Ghanaian Times joins the EC in urging stakeholders in the electoral process to collaborate with it as it carries out their mandate.
Nothing must be done to cast a slur on the peacefulness of the 2024 elections.
