NDC communicator, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has argued that completely eliminating every perceived political connection from the Electoral Commission is impractical under Ghana’s current constitutional arrangements, despite acknowledging that an independent, non-partisan commission remains the ideal.
The Minister of State in charge of Government Communications said the debate over Emelia Afi Abenyo’s appointment as Deputy Chairperson of the EC must take into account the difference between the ideal institutional arrangement and what can realistically be achieved.
He maintained that the government could not simply remove every person whose political background might raise questions about neutrality, describing such an exercise as impractical.
“In the absence of capacity to do a whole research, which means that you get rid of every hint of partisanship in this agency, we cannot do that, because it is impractical constitutionally,” he said on TV3’s Keypoints.
Kwakye Ofosu said the ideal situation was for the EC to operate without partisan influence, but argued that the commission’s existing composition had to be considered when making new appointments.
He maintained that the government’s approach was to seek a measure of balance while ensuring that any person appointed had the ability and temperament to carry out the responsibilities of the office.
“In doing so, however, you must clearly go for somebody who fits the bill and can get the job done and has a temperament to not allow perceived political bias to cloud” their work, he said.
Kwakye Ofosu also acknowledged that critics had raised legitimate concerns about the appointment, adding that the government had not dismissed the views of independent-minded observers.
“We have never dismissed the concerns expressed by independent-minded people. Maybe going forward, things can be done differently,” he said.
He argued that while the debate over Abenyo’s appointment would continue, the broader challenge was how to strengthen public confidence in the EC while working within the country’s constitutional framework.
