Deputy Minister for Roads and Highways Alhassan Suhuyini says a proper reset of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) would have involved replacing the existing commissioners and establishing a transparent process for appointing people with proven integrity and credibility without partisan biases.
He argued that such a process would help restore public confidence in the Commission by ensuring that those appointed to oversee the country’s electoral processes are perceived as impartial and independent of political parties.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 17, Mr Suhuyini said the President should have been allowed to start afresh by clearing the Commission and working towards a new framework for selecting its leadership.
“I’m saying that the proper reset, in my view, would have been if the President had the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and then institutionalise a process that will allow for the appointment of people that we can all have confidence in,” he said.
He stressed that the appointment process should prioritise individuals with established records of integrity and credibility, without obvious affiliations with political parties.
“A process, I’m sure, can bring about that. That would have been a proper reset,” he added.
He maintained that such an approach would have provided an opportunity to build a system that commands broader public confidence, rather than relying solely on appointments made within the existing arrangements.
“Wipe the slate clean. Clear all those politically affiliated people ex-President Akufo-Addo packed that place with, that would have been an ideal reset,” he said.
He argued that a proper reset would have required the removal of commissioners appointed under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration, followed by a national discussion on how their replacements should be selected.
“Take them all out and then let’s together as a nation, sit down and discuss how we want people who are commissioners appointed. That would have been the appropriate thing,” he said.
However, he noted that the laws governing the Electoral Commission constrain the President’s ability to remove the commissioners, while such a move could also attract concerns from the international community.
“We all know that the laws will not allow him to do that easily. We know that the international community will raise eyebrows about the removal of these people,” he said.
Against that background, Mr Suhuyini acknowledged that the government had to work within the existing legal framework, particularly given that two vacancies had arisen on the Commission.
He said the existence of those vacancies formed part of the considerations surrounding the current appointment discussions, although he clarified that his position should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any particular appointment decision.
His comments come amid discussions about appointments to the Electoral Commission and the need to ensure that the institution is trusted by political parties and the wider public.
The Commission is responsible for organising and supervising public elections in Ghana, making its perceived independence and neutrality central to confidence in the country’s democratic process.
Mr Suhuyini’s position is that, beyond filling existing vacancies, the country should consider how appointments to the Commission can be structured to strengthen public confidence in the institution and reduce concerns about partisan influence.