EC releases list of firms printing December 7 ballot papers to refute NDC’s claims

The Electoral Commission, Ghana (EC) has refuted claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the printing of ballot papers for the December 7 elections.

The largest opposition party had on Sunday raised concerns about the printing of the ballots, calling out the Commission for allowing the Assembly Press, headed by a known member of the New Patriotic Party, to be part of firms printing the ballots.

The NDC also said the Commission has failed to provide ballot statistics since it started printing the ballot papers, further accusing the elections-management body of printing in excess of 150,000 against the norm.

But a statement issued by the EC on Tuesday, November 3 asked the public to disregard the claims as false.

“The Electoral Commission finds it difficult to understand why the NDC would seek to cause fear and apprehension around a transparent and open process such as the printing of ballots,” the Commission said.

“This is unacceptable.

“The Commission assures the citizenry that each ballot paper will be accounted for. Not one ballot paper will be included in a package that has not been accounted for.

“This will not happen. Our processes are open, transparent and robust and will remain so.”

It listed the printing houses as follows:

1. Buck Press Limited

2. Assembly Press (Ghana Publishing Company)

3. Acts Commercial Limited

4. Fonstat Limited

5. Yasarko Limited

6. Innolink

7. Checkpoint Limited

In the special case of Assembly Press, the Commission said it is a “state institution which at any point in time is headed by Appointees of an incumbent Government”.

“It is also a well-known fact that the Assembly Press headed by Appointees of the NDC printed 1992, 1996, 2000, 2012 and 2016 ballot papers.

“In spite of who heads the Assembly Press, the effective monitoring and participation by the Political Parties and Security Agencies in the Commission’s printing processes make it impossible for any Printing House be it State-owned or Private to manipulate and compromise the printing process.”

It urged the public to disregard NDC’s “attempt” to cause “fear and panic and heighten tension in the lead-up to the December 2020 Elections”.