Mr Kofi Akpaloo, the flagbearer,Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to reprint the presidential ballot papers without the image of the Ghana Freedom Party’s (GFP) candidate.
His call follows the EC’s decision to print the presidential ballot papers with the image of the late Madam Akua Donkor and the symbol of the GFP.
The Commission, however, indicated that votes for Akua Donkor and the GFP would be annulled.
Addressing the media, in Accra, on Wednesday, Mr Akpaloo rejected the Commission’s decision and called for the removal of the image and symbol of the late Akua Donkor and the GFP from the ballot papers.
Mr. Akpaloo explained that retaining the image of the late Akua Donkor and the symbol of the GFP would create confusion among voters and potentially lead to disputes over election results.
“It is wrong for the EC to print a ballot paper with Mame Akua Donkor’s picture on it.
“It’s going to create a whole lot of confusion in the country, people are going to vote for Mame Akua Donkor, who we are all aware that she is not alive,” he said.
He added that: “…how are they (EC) going to do the counting at the end of the day because with the presidential ballot, we do the calculation based on the percentage, the percentage is garnered by each candidate.
“Now, are we going to say that those who are going to vote for Mame Akua Donkor, they are going to be taken off the ballot or they are still going to be counted?”
Mr Akpaloo also asserted that removing Madam Akua Donkor and the GFP from the ballot was essential to ensure a peaceful election and prevent any grounds for post-election disputes.
“We don’t want confusion at the end of the day. We do not want a situation whereby a losing candidate will just stand up and say he’s not going to accept the results because of the percentages,” he said.
Mr Akpaloo urged that the ballot to be reprinted regardless of cost, explaining that similar changes would have been made had Mr Philip Appiah Kubi, the GFP nominee to replace Akua Donkor, qualified after the initial printing, making time and cost concerns secondary to election integrity.
“We are asking the EC to reprint new ballot papers without Mame Akua Donkor’s picture on it. If the candidate had qualified, were we going to print new ballot papers?
“We are not going to say that it’s going to cost us money, so now that his party did not qualify, then we have to take their party from the ballot,” he stressed.
Mr. Akpaloo also emphasized that while they had campaigned using their original ballot position, adjustments could be made, as the ballot paper would only show candidate names, symbols, and party affiliation.
“I am number five, and I campaigned on number five, but now, I would rather campaign on number four, because there has been a change. We don’t write one, two, three, four, five, six on the ballot paper, so if you campaign on those numbers, it doesn’t matter,” he added.
“Let’s do the right thing to create a peaceful atmosphere for this election,” he urged.
GNA
13 Nov. 2024
