The 2020 elections organised by Jean Mensa-led EC met international standards - EU Observation Mission
- The EU Observation Mission has said that the 2020 elections met international standards
- President Akufo-Addo won the elections
- His close challenger, John Dramani Mahama, however, rejected the outcome
- He petitioned the Supreme Court for a rerun to be ordered.
- But the court dismissed his plea
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The European Union Election Observation Mission to Ghana 2020 (EU EOM) said the 2020 general elections organised by the Jean Mensa-led Electoral Commission (EC) were “efficiently organised and competitive.”
Source: Facebook
Presenting the mission’s final report at a press conference in Accra, Chief Observer, Javier Nart, noted that voters participated freely in large numbers and that the process “successfully met a range of international standards.”
The EU EOM's final report is a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process that builds on the initial findings of the preliminary statement, which was issued shortly after the elections in December.
Despite stating that the overall conduct of voting was assessed positively in 95 percent of polling stations observed, Nart stated that the shortcomings already identified by previous EU election observation missions “remain, such as the misuse of state resources, the abuse of incumbency, vote-buying and unregulated campaign finances. These resulted in an uneven playing field."
The final report contained 18 recommendations for future elections, eight of which were considered to be priorities.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo defeated former President John Mahama in the said election to secure another four-year term; collecting 51.302% of the votes cast against the latter’s 47.359%.
The votes difference between the two candidates stood at 517, 231, representing a four-percentage point, one of the highest since 1996.
The former president rejected the outcome of the elections and petitioned the Supreme Court. He argued that there was no winner in the elections and that the declaration by the chairperson of EC was flawed.
He thus prayed the court to order for a rerun of the elections between him and Akufo-Addo.
The Apex Court, however, dismissed the petition, stating that it cannot order a rerun of the 2020 presidential polls.
The panel held that former President John Dramani Mahama, the petitioner in the case, failed to adduce “cogent evidence” to back his claims that there was no winner in the December 7, 2020, presidential elections.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
