The Electoral Commission has identified 7,250 hotspots in the country ahead of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections. This is a decline from the 9,644 flash points identified before the 2020 general election. Frederick Tetteh, the deputy director in charge of research, monitoring, and evaluation at the EC, revealed this information during a panel discussion at a multi-stakeholder dialogue on media and security in Accra.
Tetteh attributed the decrease to the security measures implemented by the Commission and security agencies. He emphasized that the identification of flash points can change over time, and new ones can also emerge. The dialogue aimed to strengthen collaboration between the media and security to ensure peace before, during, and after the election.
Tetteh assured that the Commission is ready to conduct a free, fair, and transparent election and has completed major steps in the electoral process. The Commission is currently in the process of printing the ballot papers and will soon issue the final voters register to the political parties.
He called on the public, especially political parties, to trust the electoral processes and the Commission to deliver a credible election on 7 December. Dr. Jonathan Sandy, Head of the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (AU ECOSOCC), emphasized the need to maintain the peace currently enjoyed in the country and warned against divisive political campaigns.
Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commandant of KAIPTC, urged the media to be cautious in their reporting to ensure the country’s peace is upheld before and after the polls. Dr. Abena Animwaa Yeboah-Banin, head of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Ghana, stressed the importance of media and security collaborating effectively to support each other.