ADD
Contact: Thomas Issa, Programme Manager
PO Box 306, Tamale
Tel. (071) 23026, 22213

FODA
Contact: Nicholas Halm, Secretary General
PO Box 7908, Accra North
Tel. (021) 240-530

ADD / FODA DOMESTIC ELECTION OBSERVER GROUP:STATEMENT ON THE CONDUCT OF THE 28 DECEMBER 2000 PRESIDENTIAL RUN-OFF ELECTIONS IN GHANA

3rd JANUARY 2001

On 28th December 2000, Action on Disability and Development (ADD) and the Federation of Disabled Associations (FODA) observed Ghana's Presidential run-off, when after the 7th Presidential and Parliamentary elections none of the Presidential candidates obtained the 50% plus one vote (as required by the constitution of Ghana), to win the Presidential seat.

The objectives of the ADD/FODA domestic observer group were to assess the accessibility of the electoral process for persons with disabilities and to promote the free, fair, transparent and peaceful conduct of these historic elections. The participation of the ADD/FODA observer group also served to raise awareness of the capabilities of persons with disabilities to participate fully in this national exercise.

The ADD/FODA observer group noted the successful conduct of the Presidential run-off in which J. A. Kufuor of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) gained 57.8% of the votes cast to become Ghana's President for the next four years.

As in the 7th December Presidential and Parliamentary elections, participating in the ADD/FODA domestic observer group were members and staff of ADD and FODA, including the Ghana Association of the Blind (GAB), Ghana National Association of the Deaf, Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) and other supporters of these organisations. The ADD/FODA domestic observer group comprised 80 people who were deployed in three regions in northern Ghana (Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions), and in the Greater Accra Region. The ADD/FODA members observed the opening of the polling stations, voting throughout the day and counting of the ballots at the polling stations on Election Day. The domestic observer group visited 266 Polling stations in 26 Constituencies out of Ghana's 200 constituencies and 20,116 polling stations. In the majority of the polling stations where the observer teams observed the closing of the poll, the NPP flag bearer won majority of the votes.

FINDINGS

1. Accessibility of the Polling Stations for Persons with Disabilities:
The majority of the polling stations visited by the ADD/FODA domestic observer group were again found to be generally physically accessible to persons with disabilities. However, there were still a few polling stations that did not provide easy access to the voting process for persons with disabilities. For example, in some polling stations visited, the tables were placed on a veranda at schools and other public buildings, making it necessary for persons with disabilities to climb steps to reach the tables to vote. Additionally, there were some areas where the ground was very uneven, which made it difficult for persons in wheelchairs to move easily to the polling stations. Some polling stations were also situated far from a main road or drive, again impeding access to the stations. Furthermore, in remote areas polling stations were far from the homes of some persons with disabilities and such persons could not easily go to vote.

2. Assisted Voting:
According to Ghana's election regulations, persons with disabilities or any other person needing assistance shall be permitted "to be assisted by a person of his own choice." To this effect, persons with disabilities who turned out to vote were permitted to use their own assistants to go through the voting process. The election officials at the polling stations understood and supported this procedure. Other instances of assisted voting noted by the observers were old people who were assisted because they did not know what to do.

3. Proxy voting:
Proxy voting was not exercised in any of the polling stations visited by the observers. It is unlikely that many people understand what proxy voting is and hence few people, if any applied to the Electoral Commission to vote by proxy.

4. Turn Out:
Again, we noted with disappointment the low turn out of persons with disabilities on Election Day. We believe that this was due to either many persons with disabilities not registering to vote or that they lacked guides to bring them to the polling stations. Further, perhaps there was a general apathy towards the elections among persons with disabilities.

6. General Conduct of the Elections:
In general, as in the 7th December 2000 elections, the run-off were conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner and in a peaceful atmosphere, which was hailed by all Ghanaians and the international community. We congratulate the Electoral Commission for successfully arranging and conducting the election and also congratulate the voters for their peaceful participation and tolerance in the exercise of their franchise. This is an indication that Ghana is maturing in the exercise of democratic governance.

We regret the few instances of violence and intimidation, which occurred during the run-off, and call on all Ghanaians to put the past behind them and rally behind the new government as it tackles the onerous task of nation building ahead of it.

We reiterate our concern about the secrecy of the ballot, expressed in our statement after the 7th December elections. We observed at some polling stations that the placement of the voting screen did not protect the voters' right to mark his or her ballot in secret.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on our findings, we recommend that:
1. The Electoral Commission considers our findings and ensures that persons with disabilities do not face undue difficulties in their attempt to register during registration exercises and to vote during elections.
2. The National Commission for Civic Education and civil society organisations conduct civic education programmes targeting persons with disabilities to promote their full involvement in the political life of the country.

3. Organisations of Persons with Disabilities should develop and carry out political /civic awareness creating programmes to educate their members on civic rights and responsibilities.

4. The Electoral Commission of Ghana ensures that for future elections provision be made for tactile ballot papers to enable persons with visual impairments exercise their right of making their vote secret.

In conclusion, we would like to congratulate all agencies, which made it possible for persons with disabilities to participate as observers of these historic elections. We thank the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) which, with funds from the governments of Sweden and Finland, supported the ADD/FODA domestic election observer group. We also appreciate the assistance of CODEO who assisted us in our training and observation. Finally, we thank the Electoral Commission of Ghana for their briefing on the electoral process and how to observe and for the accreditation given to persons with disabilities that made the whole process possible.

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