Ghana’s international reputation for electoral integrity has been praised by Dr. Bossman Asare, the Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) responsible for Corporate Services.
According to him, the nation is among the greatest in Africa and a fierce rival on the international front.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on November 19, Dr. Asare backed up his claim with data from the internationally renowned Electoral Integrity Project.
“The evidence is very clear,” he said.
“We have researchers who do work on elections, and one of them is the Electoral Integrity Project. They assess the quality of elections worldwide, and in their 2024 report, Ghana ranked number five in Africa with a score of 70 out of 100.”
Dr. Asare clarified that South Africa, Cape Verde, Lesotho, and The Gambia were the nations that ranked higher than Ghana; however, he added that the populations of these top-ranked nations—with the exception of South Africa—were much smaller than Ghana’s, highlighting the intricacy of Ghana’s electoral accomplishments.
“Cape Verde, the first on the list, has a population of less than 600,000,” he noted. “Lesotho, the second, has about 2.3 to 2.5 million people.
“The Gambia, the third, is one of the smallest countries in West Africa. South Africa, which is fourth with about 72%, is one of Africa’s superpowers. Ghana ties with Namibia for fifth place, and that’s remarkable given our population and the scale of our elections.”
Dr. Asare also emphasized Ghana’s ranking’s importance on a worldwide scale. “Ghana’s performance is noteworthy even on the global stage,” he stated.
“Our score of 70% is comparable to that of countries in Western Europe, and even the United States scores almost the same as Ghana. This is a clear indication that, when it comes to the quality of elections, Ghana is up there with the best.”
The EC’s persistent efforts to uphold integrity and openness in its electoral procedures were credited by the Deputy Chairman with Ghana’s impressive achievement.
“This ranking is not just a coincidence,” he emphasised.
“It’s the result of deliberate efforts by the Commission to ensure that our elections meet the highest standards.”
Dr. Asare dismissed off complaints that Ghana’s electoral performance ought to be compared to democracies with larger populations, claiming that the rankings are determined using exacting and internationally recognized procedures.
“These researchers have assessed almost all the countries in the world,” he said.
“Their work considers multiple indicators, and Ghana’s ranking shows we are excelling on all fronts.”
Dr. Asare pledged to make the Electoral Integrity Project data publicly accessible in order to support his argument.
“This information is readily available,” he said. “When you look at their rankings by region and continent, it’s clear that Ghana is still up there.”
He expressed confidence in the EC’s capacity to uphold its standing as a pioneer in election management as he concluded.
“The evidence speaks for itself,” he said. “Ghana is among the best in Africa, and we are proud of the strides we’ve made in delivering credible, high-quality elections.”
Source: myjoyonline.com