The Electoral Commission (EC) on Monday spelled out the rights and
responsibilities of the electorate to ensure Election 2008 is conducted
in an orderly and peaceful environment in accordance with laws and
electoral procedures.
In an interview with Ghana News Agency
in Accra, Mr David Adeenze-Kangah, Deputy Chairman of EC in-charge of
Finance and Administration, said the laid down regulations were to
ensure that the voter cast the ballot with a clear conscience without
being influenced by an outsider. He said the polling booth would
be constructed to protect the image and integrity of the electoral
system and enforce the casting of ballot in secret condition without
any interference.
Mr Adeenze-Kangah urged the electorate to;
“know the candidates and the important issues in the election, express
opinions about candidates, issues and the campaign without fear or
intimidation and be assisted at the polling station to vote in case of
a physical disability.” He said it was the duty of the
electorate to vote on December 7, vote only once, give other voters the
chance to vote, keep the vote secret, and be law-abiding at the polling
station.
“Leave the polling station after casting your vote,”
stressing, “the polling station is a restricted area, so you must stay
within a reasonable distance if you still want to observe the process,
but do not interfere in any way,” Mr Adeenze-Kangah stated.
“As
a voter do not engage in bribery, a person commits the offence of
bribery if he/she gives or receives, or causes to be given or receive,
money, a gift, a loan or something of value as a means of inducing a
person to vote or not to vote in a certain way. “A person
commits the offence of treating if he/she personally or through an
agent gives or accepts meat, drink, entertainment or provision for
purposes of voting or refraining from voting,” he stated. On
electoral offences, Mr Adeenze-Kangah said a person commits an offence
by engaging or attempting to engage in multiple voting, or attempts to
vote more than once at the same election.
He said “a person
commits the offence of undue influence if he/she personally or through
an agent uses or threatens to use force, violence or restraint against
a person, inflicts or threatens to inflict temporal or spiritual
injury, damage, harm or loss to a person. “Compelling somebody
to vote in a particular way; by abduction, duress or other fraudulent
means impedes or prevents a voter from freely exercising his/her
franchise”.
On impersonation, Mr Adeenze-Kangah said: “A person
commits the offence of impersonation if he/she votes or attempts to
vote in the name or with voter identity card of another person, living,
dead or fictitious. “To compel or induce a candidate to withdraw
his/her candidature, to canvass for votes or seek to find out how a
person intends to vote within 500 metres of a polling station and to
take to a polling station anything that reveals the candidature or
party you intend to vote for.”
