The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured the general public that it will maintain the highest level of transparency and accountability in the 2024 general elections.
To that end, it has rescinded its decision to restrict access to constituency and regional collation centres by journalists who will be deployed to cover the general elections on December 7.
The Commission said in a press release dated December 2, 2024 that “Following internal discussions and consultations with key media personalities, the Electoral Commission (EC) is pleased to announce to the Media and the General Public that media persons assigned photo accreditation to cover Polling Stations will be able to use the same accreditation to cover Constituency and Regional Collation Centres.”
The press release signed by the Director of Electoral Services, Benjamin Bano-Bio added that “From Saturday, 7th December, 2024, media persons can access Constituency and Regional Collation Centres using their photo accreditation cards issued by the EC.”
Mr Bano-Bio explained that “The EC is desirous to maintain the highest level of transparency and accountability in its operations. The revised media accreditation aims to provide media personnel with greater flexibility and access to key Election Centres. This commitment is to ensure that the media can effectively cover the electoral process, and this change reflects that commitment.
“Arrangements for media access to the National Collation Centre will be announced in due course,” the Commission announced.
It would be recalled that the Electoral Commission in a memo dated November 25, 2024, said, among others, that eight media organisations would be accredited to cover collation activities in the constituencies.
The EC’s U-turn comes after facing massive criticism from the media, civil society organizations (CSOs), and the general public. The United Press for Development Network (UPDN) also expressed grave concern in a statement regarding the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana’s media accreditation process for the upcoming 2024 elections.
The initial memo proposed a drastic limitation on the number of journalists allowed access to constituency and regional collation centers, citing space constraints. After consultations with key media associations, such as the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), the number of accredited journalists was increased from 3,308 to 4,500.
However, the UPDN argued that this adjustment is insufficient and fails to address the fundamental issue of restricting media coverage during the elections.
