Ghana's Electoral Commission says undertaking reforms to ensure credible polls in November

Ghana's Electoral Commission (EC) says it is undertaking reforms to enhance the transparency of the country's electoral process.

The EC Chairperson, Charlotte Osei made the remarks following a massive demonstration on Thursday in Ghana's second largest city of Kumasi, some 270 km north of the capital, by pro-opposition groups to demand a credible voters' register for this year's general election, local media reported on Friday.

The EC Chair said the Commission had accordingly begun implementing reforms recommended by the country's Supreme Court in a bid to conduct a credible election on November 7 as against the previous date of December 7.

In a rare post-election development, the main opposition New Patriotic Party went to the Supreme Court over what it said were widespread irregularities by the ruling National Democratic Congress during the 2012 Presidential election.

Though the Court ruled in favor of President John Dramani Mahama, the Supreme Court made some recommendations to help improve the electoral system.

"We've started the process of implementing several reforms. Some of those are as a result of the recommendations made by the Supreme Court during the election petition. Other reforms are those that have been agreed by a wide range of stakeholders, including political parties and civil society organizations," Osei said.

Osei also noted that the Commission had adopted a five-year strategic plan to enable them to position themselves to be more credible and transparent. Enditem