For Immediate Release

BudgIT Ghana Commends Ghana’s Relatively Peaceful Elections, Highlights Key Observations and Concerns

Accra, Ghana – Monday, December 9, 2024  BudgIT Ghana, a transparency-focused civic-tech organisation, in collaboration with the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG Ghana),  embarked on a nationwide election observation exercise during today’s general elections. As part of BudgIT Ghana’s Roadmap to Elections 2024, this initiative was part of efforts to enhance transparency, accountability, and the credibility of the electoral process through real-time reporting of polling activities, incidences, and the overall conduct of the 2024 polls.

BudgIT Ghana especially commends the outstanding efforts of all stakeholders involved, particularly civil society groups like the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), whose unwavering commitment to voter empowerment and education considerably shored up commitments to safeguard Ghana’s democratic processes. Their collective efforts demonstrate the crucial role CSOs play in fostering a culture of transparency, civic engagement, and trust in governance.

There was a notable decrease in negative incidents and electoral violence during this year’s elections compared to other years. Reports from our media partners and observers indicated that, comparatively, there were fewer cases of voter intimidation, ballot tampering, and violence. Despite some isolated incidents, such as the terribly tragic deaths in Nyankpala in the Tolon Constituency in the Northern Region and at Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region, and some recorded injuries, the overall atmosphere was significantly calmer than in the past election years where we recorded more deaths and widespread disruptions. However, voter turnout was considerably underwhelming, signaling a need for more robust strategies in addressing voter apathy for deepened public participation in Ghana’s political processes.

While we applaud the significant progress in the 2024 general elections, all stakeholders, especially the government, must commit to addressing the deficiencies that facilitate fraud by prioritizing electoral reforms to increase citizen participation and trust in the electoral process. We recommend that prompt investigations be conducted into documented instances of misconduct and violence in order to prevent future occurrences and ensure justice. Additionally, there is a need for stronger stakeholder efforts in increasing civic education programs to promote informed voting and an active citizenship culture.

BudgIT Ghana remains committed to promoting accountability, transparency, and citizen participation in governance. Let’s build on these successes as a country, strengthen our institutions, and reaffirm our collective dedication to a democracy that represents the will and aspirations of all Ghanaians so that we make every election cycle safer, more inclusive, and more engaging than the one before.

Signed

Jennifer Moffatt,

Country Lead,

BudgIT Ghana

ghana.budgit.org