If the security agencies assert their authority and fend off unwarranted interference from politicians, the 2012 general elections will pass off peacefully, a legal practitioner, Mr Kwesi Afriyie Badu has said.
He said the paralysis shown by especially the police in previous electoral issues should concern all Ghanaians.
"The inability of the state to prosecute electoral offenders has contributed to the impudence with which some people commit electoral offenses," he said at a forum.
Expatiating on this on the maiden edition of Joy FM's pre-elections analysis, Elections Headquarters for elections 2012, Mr Badu said, at a forum at Akosombo on how to ensure peaceful elections 2012, the political parties themselves identified security as a key factor in ensuring the elections are peaceful because "we had witnessed a situation where people who had breached electoral laws had been allowed to go scot-free largely because of interference by powerful politicians."
Giving anecdotal evidence to support his argument, KAB Governance Consult Chief Executive Officer said "We've had a sad situation where a commission member of the Electoral Commission, finding that a staff had done something wrong; dismisses that temporary staff; walks to the police station; to District Police Commander, to lodge a formal complaint; he makes a follow up; and the police have done nothing, they tell him they don't know the law under which to charge him; he follows up and gives them a copy of the law under which to charge him; and at the end of the day, there is still no show."
Explaining the reasons for delays in disposing of cases of electoral offenses, Attorney-General Dr Benjamin Kunbuor said there were human resource and logistical constraints which negatively affected the ability of the AG's department to expedite action on such cases.
He said discussions were underway to improve service conditions at the department to attract lawyers to the AG's department.
He said the paralysis shown by especially the police in previous electoral issues should concern all Ghanaians.
"The inability of the state to prosecute electoral offenders has contributed to the impudence with which some people commit electoral offenses," he said at a forum.
Expatiating on this on the maiden edition of Joy FM's pre-elections analysis, Elections Headquarters for elections 2012, Mr Badu said, at a forum at Akosombo on how to ensure peaceful elections 2012, the political parties themselves identified security as a key factor in ensuring the elections are peaceful because "we had witnessed a situation where people who had breached electoral laws had been allowed to go scot-free largely because of interference by powerful politicians."
Giving anecdotal evidence to support his argument, KAB Governance Consult Chief Executive Officer said "We've had a sad situation where a commission member of the Electoral Commission, finding that a staff had done something wrong; dismisses that temporary staff; walks to the police station; to District Police Commander, to lodge a formal complaint; he makes a follow up; and the police have done nothing, they tell him they don't know the law under which to charge him; he follows up and gives them a copy of the law under which to charge him; and at the end of the day, there is still no show."
Explaining the reasons for delays in disposing of cases of electoral offenses, Attorney-General Dr Benjamin Kunbuor said there were human resource and logistical constraints which negatively affected the ability of the AG's department to expedite action on such cases.
He said discussions were underway to improve service conditions at the department to attract lawyers to the AG's department.
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