Electoral Commission of Ghana
Encyclopedia
The Electoral Commission of Ghana is the official body in Ghana
responsible for all public elections. Made up of seven members, its independence is guaranteed by the 1992 Ghana constitution. The current commission was established by the Electoral Commission Act (Act 451) of 1993.
in consultation with the Council of State of Ghana in February 2004 and sworn in on 5 March 2004. They are Mrs. Paulina Adobea Dadzawa, an administrator, Nana Amba Eyiiba I, Efutuhemaa and Krontihemaa of the Oguaa Traditional Area and Eunice Akweley Roberts, an Educationist and Human Resource Practitioner. They were all women. Ebenezer Aggrey Fynn, a Management Consultant was also appointed to the Commission by the President to bring it to its full complement of seven members.
, have made it a focus of African and international election reform organizations. In November 2009, a conference was held to analyze this election, and try to establish new standards and practices for African election commissions. Held in Accra, the conference was titled Colloquium on African Elections:Best Practices and Cross-Sectoral Collaboration. The conference was organized by a number of international election reform organizations including the National Democratic Institute, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems
, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa
and UNDP.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
responsible for all public elections. Made up of seven members, its independence is guaranteed by the 1992 Ghana constitution. The current commission was established by the Electoral Commission Act (Act 451) of 1993.
Members
The Commission is made up of seven members. The current composition is as follows. Three of the members were appointed by President KufuorJohn Kufuor
John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor was the second president of the 4th Republic of Ghana and Chairperson of the African Union...
in consultation with the Council of State of Ghana in February 2004 and sworn in on 5 March 2004. They are Mrs. Paulina Adobea Dadzawa, an administrator, Nana Amba Eyiiba I, Efutuhemaa and Krontihemaa of the Oguaa Traditional Area and Eunice Akweley Roberts, an Educationist and Human Resource Practitioner. They were all women. Ebenezer Aggrey Fynn, a Management Consultant was also appointed to the Commission by the President to bring it to its full complement of seven members.
| OFFICE | NAME | TERM |
| Chairman | Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan Kwadwo Afari-Gyan Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan , is the chair of the Electoral Commission of Ghana. He is a Ghanaian academic and political scientist.-Education:... |
1993 – present |
| Deputy Chairman | David Azey Adeenze-Kangah | 1993 – present |
| Deputy Chairman | Kwadwo Sarfo-Kantanka | 1993 – present |
| Member | Mrs. Paulina Adobea Dadzawa | February 2004 – present |
| Member | Nana Amba Eyiiba I, Efutuhemaa | February 2004 – present |
| Member | Eunice Akweley Roberts | February 2004 – present |
| Member | Ebenezer Aggrey Fynn | March 2004 – present |
| Source:Electoral Commission of Ghana | ||
International support
The acclaim that the commission received for successfully supporting the close elections of 2008Ghanaian presidential election, 2008
A presidential election was held in Ghana on 7 December 2008, at the same time as a parliamentary election. Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, a run-off election was held on 28 December, 2008 between the two candidates who received the most votes, Nana Akufo-Addo and John Atta...
, have made it a focus of African and international election reform organizations. In November 2009, a conference was held to analyze this election, and try to establish new standards and practices for African election commissions. Held in Accra, the conference was titled Colloquium on African Elections:Best Practices and Cross-Sectoral Collaboration. The conference was organized by a number of international election reform organizations including the National Democratic Institute, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Africa Center for Strategic StudiesThe formation of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies began in 1994, when U.S. European Command petitioned the Chairman of the House International Relations Committee to create a Center on African Affairs that emulated the George C. Marshall European Center...
, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems
International Foundation for Electoral Systems
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1987. This Washington, D. C.-based development organization provides assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies...
, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy is a democracy assistance organisation of political parties in the Netherlands for political parties in young democracies...
, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa
Open Society Initiative for West Africa
Open Society Initiative for West Africa is a West African organization which promotes democratic values. OSIWA "believes that it best serves by sustaining catalytic and innovative initiatives that add value to the efforts of West Africa's civil society." OSIWA also believes in the value of...
and UNDP.
Former members
In February 2004, three members of the commission retired. They were Elizabeth Solomon, Mrs. Theresa Cole and Professor Ernest Dumor. Another member, Dr. M . K .Puni, died in June 2005. Dixon Afreh is a former member of the Commission who left when he was appointed as a Justice of the Appeal Court in October 1994.See also
- Elections in GhanaElections in GhanaElections in Ghana gives information on election and election results in Ghana.Ghana elects on national level a head of state, the president, and a legislature. The president is elected for a four year term by the people...
- List of Ghana Parliament constituencies
- List of political parties in Ghana