Chair of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, has assured results of Wednesday and Thursday's presidential and parliamentary elections would be declared within the 72-hour deadline she promised.

The EC Chair said the Commission has received poll results for 210 out of the 275 constituencies so far that are in the process of collation at the National Collation Centre for final declaration.

The Commissioner blamed refusal of party representatives to sign on the Statement of Poll and the Declaration of Results form (pink sheets) for delays in declaring the presidential and parliamentary results.

Apart from that, Charlotte Osei also said not all the constituency results have arrived from some six regions further making the declaration of results impossible.

Sixty-nine constituency results from the Upper East, Volta Ashanti, Eastern, Northern and Eastern regions are yet to reach the national poll collation centre in Accra. The Northern Region has the highest number of delayed constituency results of 25 constituencies.

"We are certain that today, we will get most of the pink sheets from the regions so we can also validate the pink sheets against the collation results; and when the candidates have complained about issues of irregularity we need the pink sheets to take a position as a commission," she during a press conference, Friday, at EC's headquarters in Accra.

The Commission promised to declare final results of the polls within 72 hours after the close of polls, which meant results for Wednesday's general elections would have been declared, Friday, December 9, 2016. 

However, disagreement of the electoral roll at Jaman North constituency in the Western Region postponed elections on Thursday in that constituency alone. 

This means if the EC would use the Thursday's polls as a reference point, then the declaration of national results would be done on Saturday.

But the EC's decision not to release even a single result from any of the 275 constituencies, even though it has certified results from at least 100 constituencies is fueling tension among voters.

The tension is further heightened by victory claims by the two main political parties, the incumbent National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition of New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Nana Akufo-Addo

The NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo has called a presser to declare victory, a declaration that is corroborated by local radio stations that have called the elections for him based on projections from provisional results from at least 200 constituencies.

Read: It will be Akufo-Addo - Joy News projects

He is currently in the lead with 53% of total votes cast based on provisional results from 233 out of the 275 constituencies. Joy News projects him to win the presidential polls. Parliamentary aspirants from his party have also won the majority of the 275 constituency seats.

The NDC is also claiming same for its presidential candidate, President John Mahama, but is yet to show poll results it is basing this claim on.

The party has condemned the projection of Nana Akufo-Addo as president by local radio stations and has said that the EC results would vindicate its claim of victory for President Mahama.

Speaking at Friday's press conference, Charlotte Osei, said it cannot rig the elections, reacting to fears that the delay to declare the results is part of a scheme to overturn the mandate of voters.

"Bare with us so that as we giving you the results we are giving accurate and legal results," Charlotte Osei at the press conference.