GHANAIAN ELECTIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001386 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: GH KDEM PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL SUBJECT: GHANAIAN ELECTIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS ¶1. (U) SUMMARY. Ghana's presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for December 7. This cable provides background for the framework and process. END SUMMARY. ¶2. Ghana is governed by the 1992 constitution that created the Fourth Republic. It is a constitutional democracy with a strong executive whose power is vested in the President, a unicameral Parliament with 230 members, a less powerful cabinet and Council of State, and an independent Judiciary. ¶3. The President and members of Parliament are elected for terms of four years. The President is limited to two terms in office. MPs can win election with a plurality of the vote (first past the post),while the President must win by an absolute majority (50% plus one). If no winner emerges after the first round in the presidential election, a mandatory run-off must take place within three weeks of the initial election. Voting is by secret ballot with non-mandatory universal adult suffrage. THE ELECTORAL PROCEDURE ¶4. An independent seven-member Electoral Commission (EC) manages Ghana's elections. The EC compiles the voter register and demarcates electoral boundaries. It conducts and supervises all public elections, and is the only body mandated to declare official election results. The EC provides each eligible voter with a photo ID card which must be produced at his/her polling station and must match the information in the voters' register. Each of 22,000 polling stations is manned by an EC-appointed Presiding Officer and an average of five polling assistants. All registered parties and candidates are allowed to have accredited polling agents at each polling station. Polling agents observe voting and the vote count and call any irregularities to the attention of the Presiding Officer. Polling agents may request one recount of the vote, but the Presiding Officer has the final say, except where an appeal to a higher authority is permitted. ¶5. Unarmed uniformed GOG security personnel, drawn from police, armed forces, border guards, and correction officers, are assigned to polling stations as well. Domestic and international election monitors and observers who have been duly accredited by the EC are allowed to visit any polling station on election day. ¶6. Polling stations open at 7 am and close at 5 pm. Voters vote behind a screen by placing an inked thumb print in a box adjacent to the name, photo, party symbol, and party name of their preferred presidential and parliamentary candidate. They place their folded ballots in a clear sealed ballot box in full view of EC officers, party polling agents, and other voters. After voting they must dip their finger in a bottle of indelible ink to prevent the possibility of voting again in another precinct. ¶7. The Presiding Officer officiates over the vote tally, which takes place in situ at all polling stations in view of party polling agents. When the count is complete, it is recorded on an official register which must be signed and verified by the Presiding Officer and all polling agents who are present. Copies of the results are given to the polling agent. This official register is then taken to the EC's constituency center, which tallies totals from all of its polling stations and faxes the results to the Electoral Commission in Accra. ¶8. Parliamentary results are announced at the constituency level. The EC Chairman is the only person authorized to announce the overall vote for the presidential election. In past elections, the presidential results have generally been announced 48 to 72 hours after the close of polls. ¶9. In May 2008, the nine registered political parties signed a code of conduct for cooperating with the EC. It lays out a regulatory framework for resolving election related disputes, assisting law enforcement agencies, and safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process. The code also established an Inter-Party Advisory Committee designed to monitor and report breaches of the code. NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES ¶10. To run for a seat in Parliament, a candidate must be a Ghanaian citizen at least 21 years old and must have lived in the constituency for at least 5 years out of the 10 years immediately preceding the election. Candidates must not: owe allegiance to any other country; have been convicted of any major criminal offense; be a chief; be a public servant in a ACCRA 00001386 002 OF 002 variety of organizations, including the armed forces, police, and civil service. Candidates can be affiliated with an accredited political party or can run as independents. They must deposit 500 Ghanaian cedis ($420) with the EC to contest an election, and this deposit is returned only to candidates who poll 12.5% of valid votes cast in the constituency. To run for President, candidates must meet all qualifications required above, but must be at least 40 years old and must deposit 5,000 Ghanaian cedis ($4,200) with the EC. The deposit of a presidential candidate is returned only is he polls at least 25% of the nationwide votes. ELECTION FUNDING AND SUPPORT ¶11. There is no significant state funding of political parties or candidates in Ghana other than the provision of a limited number of vehicles to political parties. There is also no limit on the amount of money each party and candidate can spend on the election campaign. All presidential candidates are entitled to fair treatment and equal time and space in the state-owned media. TEITELBAUM