The Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has blamed the Electoral Commission (EC) for the lapses in the just-ended 2024 elections, attributing the challenges to poor handling of the electoral process and a lack of trust in the institution.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme on Saturday, December 14, Mr Bentil criticized the EC’s handling of election processes, especially the ongoing re-collation of results for some constituencies in the Eastern Region at the Police Training School in Accra.

“The faults, the errors, the mistakes are properly in the lapses of the EC,” Mr Bentil stated. “It is important we get this right so we can avoid some of these issues in future.”

Mr Bentil also expressed concerns about collation activities taking place outside some constituencies, describing it as contrary to the intent of the existing electoral laws. While acknowledging that in rare cases, alternative venues, such as military barracks, might be necessary, he stressed that final collation must be returned to the constituencies.

"My view is that if it becomes necessary to do collation elsewhere, take it back to the constituencies and finish it there," he said.

He further urged the EC to adopt a more inclusive and transparent approach, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and negotiation to resolve disputes during collation.

“When the EC shuts the door, they have a right to do so, but when you have an EC that takes the view that any time there’s a problem, the solution is to go to court, we wouldn’t be having these problems now," he said.

Mr Bentil proposed reforms to rebuild trust in the EC, including the introduction of open recruitment processes for key positions.

“For over 30 plus years, the EC has conducted our elections, and we all know what has been said after each one. It’s time to reform our EC properly. That job should be advertised, interviews conducted, and the right person picked for the role,” he stated.

He concluded by stressing the need for systemic changes to prevent further issues, calling on the EC to take responsibility for ensuring credible and trusted elections in Ghana.