Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has reminded the Council of State about the need to revise the mode of appointing the top hierarchy of the Electoral Commission (EC), especially as the chairman of the Commission is close to retiring.
He had earlier written to the Chairman of the Council of State on the subject and although his letter attracted an acknowledgement, the issues raised were not addressed.
The NPP chairman wants the involvement of the political parties in the choice of the top hierarchy of the election management body-something which remains the prerogative of the Executives.
The reminder, dated 24th October 2013 and headed, �Re: The Electoral Commission As A Neutral Referee,� read thus: �On the 20th September 2013, I received a letter with reference number COS/ACK/01, acknowledging the receipt of the letter, I wrote to you on the 13th of September 2013 on the above mentioned topic.�
By the reminder, the NPP Chairman us seeking an official response to the concern he raised in his correspondence which was circulated to the President, Vice President, Speaker of Parliament and Chief Justice among others.
In the previous letter, the party chairman impugned the integrity of the Electoral Commission (EC) against the backdrop of the last elections and the issues that the exercise attracted.
Explaining, he had told the Chairman of the Council that �a bad referee spoils a good match and in a high stakes political contest, can cause bloodshed.�
The majority of Judges in the recent Presidential Election Petition at the Supreme Court, he pointed out, noted instances of misrepresentations, omissions and malpractices.
Ghanaians did not follow the footsteps of others by resorting to violence to rectify their grievances, he noted.
The involvement of the political parties in the appointment of the leaders of the EC through the IPAC, he said, �would not need an amendment to the constitution and would be very much in line with the spirit of article 144 (3) on the appointment of Appeal and High Court Judges on the advice of the Judicial Council, who are those most knowledgeable about their colleagues, as the political parties may be presumed to be knowledgeable on political players.�
The issue, he observed, was urgent in view of �the expected retirement in the near future of the Chairman of the E.C.�
<<Print>>