Civil Society Organisation Election Watch Ghana (EWG) has written to the Minister of Defence, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, to reconsider the hitherto deployment of the military instead of the police to guard the Chair of the Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) and her deputies.
It said this is not in line with international best practice for a country like Ghana to have the military protect such officials.
The petition added that even the constitutional provisions require that it is the police who are to provide such officers the needed security and not the military.
“Article 125 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana establishes the Electoral Commission as an independent body,” the petition jointly issued by convenors Mark Ewusi Arkoh and Jude Balma on Friday, February 14 said.
“The Constitution also provides for the security of the Electoral Commission Chair and Deputies, but does not specify the use of military personnel.
“In fact, the Constitution places the Electoral Commission Chair and Deputies on the same level as High Court Judges, who are typically provided with police security.”
It described the current security arrangements as “Rambo-style” which is “not only expensive but also a waste of military resources”.
For them, soldiers at IPAC meetings intimidate party officials, therefore not creating a congenial atmosphere for interaction.
The petition, therefore, asked the Defence Minister to withdraw the “excessive and unwarranted” deployment.
