The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission says the 2016 election will be one of the best in the history of country's democracy but has cautioned against attempts by the media and politicians to discredit the commission.

Speaking at a workshop organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping training Centre, Mrs Charlotte Osei minced no words in chiding the media for media reports she said were aimed at tarnishing her reputation and that of the Commission.

"A discredited EC is a recipe for disaster," she opined at the workshop attended by editors and senior journalists, and some security experts and officials.

The theme for the workshop is: "Towards a peaceful elections: Reporting on elections and security in 2016."

While acknowledging the mediating role of the media in providing space for politicians to make their visions known as well as informing and educating the electorates on policies, Mrs Charlotte Osei, observed, rather worryingly, that the media has allowed its platforms to be abused, especially by politicians.

She said having organised credible elections for 24 years, Ghana's EC must have attained an expert position and should have been trusted to organise a credible election.

But that is not the case, she stated. "Paradoxically no amount of years of performance is enough for the EC to be trusted" she maintained.

Despite the years of service "the  EC is still seen as not capable of organising credible elections," she lamented.

She would rather the media focus attention on the many reforms put in place by the Commission to ensure a free and fair elections in November or December.

She named the manual verification process as one of the reforms to ensure that nobody is disenfranchised on election day but was quick to add that, the manual process is not a replacement for the biometric verification process.

She said the Commission has procured additional verification machines and will supply two to each of the polling centres on election day.

Lenses on Politicians

Rather than focusing on the Commission all the time and becoming the screensaver on the PCs of many media personnel, Mrs Charlotte Osei charged the media to turn their attention on the politicians.

She said with few months to the election, many of the political parties have failed to meet the basic requirements by the EC."

There are reports on the manifestoes of the political parties in the media, she said, "how do they intend to govern?" she asked

She said the 2016 elections will be fundamentally different from previous ones because the Commission has taken bold and significant steps with the help of technology to ensure a credible election.

"We are poised to deliver one of the best elections to ensure peace and national stability," she assured.

President of the Ghana Journalist Association Mr Affail Monney reiterated the need for responsible journalism as the country heads to the polls.

He charged media personnel to cross check their facts and desist from sensationalism.