The National Democratic Congress has started a series of consultations with various stakeholders on the Party’s proposals for electoral reforms.

This is contained in a press statement issued by the NDC’s Director of Elections, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, dated August 8.

The statement explained that the proposals for electoral reforms and the resultant consultations are borne out of the “serious flaws and failings” the Party observed during a comprehensive review and audit of the 2020 elections, that “affected the credibility of the elections.”

The NDC stated that after broad consultations, the Party has come up with 34 recommendations for consideration by both government and the Electoral Commission.

According to the statement, when these recommendations are implemented, it will help restore the credibility of Ghana’s elections.

“These recommendations have been shared with various stakeholders including the Electoral Commission,” the statement read.

It added that, “the leadership of the NDC together with the technical team on electoral reforms has been holding very fruitful consultations with representatives of a cross-section of key Civil Society Organisations in Accra.

“CSOs that participated in the meeting included the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), IMANI Africa, Community Focus Foundation, and Africa Centre for Women in Politics. Others were ASEPA, CARE Ghana, ISODEC, Ghana Integrity Initiative, ADAM GH, and Youth Bridge Foundation.”

The second round of consultations to begin in the coming weeks will include labour unions, religious leaders, the National Peace Council, the National House of Chiefs, and the Diplomatic Community.

The NDC noted that the consultations are geared towards building “consensus with key stakeholders on important reforms that are required to restore the credibility and integrity of Ghana’s electoral process.”

It may be recalled that the National Democratic Congress rejected the results of the 2020 Presidential Election and proceeded to challenge same at the Supreme Court. The party also disagreed with the judgment of the Supreme Court citing obvious procedural improprieties leading to a flawed verdict.

Subsequently, the party announced a temporary boycott of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) and Electoral Commission’s activities pending reforms that guarantee free, fair, transparent and credible elections.