GHANA'S ELECTORAL COMMISSION CONFIDENT ABOUT

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 001993

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/06/2014
TAGS: GH PGOV
SUBJECT: GHANA'S ELECTORAL COMMISSION CONFIDENT ABOUT
ELECTIONS


Classified By: PolChief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.5 (d and e).


1. (C) Summary: Electoral Commission (EC) Chairman Kwado
Afari-Gyan and other EC members are confident that
preparations are on track for free and fair presidential and
parliamentary elections in Ghana. Afari-Gyan said the EC was
open to party complaints, and that he did not perceive
disproportionate media access by the ruling New Patriotic
Party (NPP),as some in the opposition allege. He hoped the
published provisional voting register -- due out on October
12 -- would not generate many requests for changes, which
could delay election preparations. The EC is under tight
time pressure to complete the registration process and
legalize the election date in Parliament. The EC welcomes
foreign observers but is not actively seeking them. While
Afari-Gyan's reassurances were convincing, the EC could do a
better job at communicating with the media and the public.
End summary.


2. (U) On October 6, Charge hosted a lunch for Ghana's
Electoral Commission Chairman Dr. Kwado Afari-Gyan and five
of the other six members of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Charge noted that the Embassy was meeting with all the
political parties and members of civil society, in addition
to the EC, to discuss the upcoming elections.

Background
--------------


3. (SBU) Ghana's Electoral Commission (EC) was established
under the 1992 constitution, with primary responsibility for
conducting all elections in a free and fair manner. The EC
has seven members, headed by a Chairman, and a staff of 1,300
people. EC members are nominated by the President (with the
advice of the Council of State, a group of eminent private
citizens) and they serve until retirement at age 60. Ghana's
EC has earned a good reputation. Chairman Afari-Gyan is seen
as impartial and firm, but has become somewhat of a recluse.

The Election "A Bit Tight"
--------------


4. (C) Afari-Gyan painted a confident picture of the EC and
preparations for the upcoming election. He conceded that
preparations were "a bit tight" on time because procedural
disagreements between the EC and the government had caused a
six month delay in the voter registration process. The EC
completed the registration 'mop up' exercise, which gave
registered voters more time to get their photos taken. Few
people showed up for the mop-up, perhaps because many of the
extra names were duplicates, the EC reps said. The register
of 10.2 million names with photos will be published on
October 12-17. The EC can not accept candidate nominations
until the register is completed but it has tentatively set
October 20 and 21 as nomination filing dates, according to
the EC officials.


5. (C) Afari-Gyan is confident the police will act
impartially on election day and that the parties will abide
by a Code of Conduct not to deploy "macho men" (party thugs)
to intimidate voters. He conceded that some materials ran
short during the registration process because the EC did not
know how many people would respond in any given area and
because internal controls on voting material made it
difficult for EC officials to shift resources. Election
participation will be more predictable on voting day and the
EC will deliver adequate materials to polling booths. Unlike
in 2000, this year the EC had budgeted for a possible run-off
election. The EC invited participation by foreign observers,
although it was not actively seeking their involvement.

Responding to Complaints
--------------


6. (C) Polchief noted some concerns we have heard about the
accessibility of the EC to complaints from parties.
Afari-Gyan said the EC met with all the parties once a month
in the Inter-Party Committee (IPAC) and that he had a steady
flow of party officials in his office raising issues. There
was a formal complaint mechanism, and he met with the media
when he saw the need, sometimes in seminars. He said he
could not possibly respond to every informal issue or
complaint raised in radio talk shows and other media, nor can
he respond to every complaint which parties raise, as some
were frivolous.


7. (C) PolChief noted opposition party complaints that the
incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) is using the state media
to get disproportionate coverage for its candidate, President
John Kufuor. Afari-Gyan said this was primarily an issue for
the Ghana Media Commission, although the EC would take note
if these concerns were serious. At this point, he felt that
parties were being given fair air time, although the media
would stick to stories they deemed newsworthy. It was


inevitable the President would get more coverage as he moves
around the country, and at least he was not wearing party
colors at official functions, as happened in 2000.
Afari-Gyan pointed out that under the constitution, the state
media must give equal time to all candidates once the
campaign has officially launched (after candidates have filed
their nominations).

EC Concerns
--------------


8. (C) When asked about his worst nightmare, Afari-Gyan
said too many demands for changes to the voter registration
list would further delay election preparations. He grumbled
that donors had not fulfilled promises to pay for 40 percent
of the EC's election expenses. He worried about being bogged
down in minor legal squabbles (he had just returned from
addressing a group of judges, educating them about the
electoral process and urging them not to grant frivolous
election-related injunctions.) Afari-Gyan's biggest headache
at the moment, however, was legalizing the election date.
Under the constitution, the EC must submit the date as a
Constitutional Instrument (CI) to Parliament, which has 21
days to ratify it. The EC submitted a CI to parliament on
October 7. While the CI is seen as a mere formality, the EC
is under time pressure since the current session of
Parliament will only last for about one month.


Comment
--------------


9. (C) Afari-Gyan was forceful and confident. He saw no
major problems in election preparations and offered credible
responses to concerns about the registration process. He was
surprisingly indifferent to a role for foreign observers.
Afari-Gyan's style is low profile. If the EC has the
election preparations under control -- as Chairman Afari-Gyan
credibly conveyed to us -- it could do a better job of
convincing civil society and the opposition, many of whom
view the Commission as inaccessible, unresponsive, and
inefficient.
LANIER


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