The Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission who is the current President of the Executive Committee of the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA), Jean Mensa, hosted the 9th Annual Continental Forum of Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) in Accra.
The forum brought together election officials, policymakers, and international partners to address the challenge of invalid and rejected ballots in Africa.
The Annual Continental Forum of EMBs, the ninth in a row, is one of the flagship policy platforms of the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) of the AUC aimed at promoting good governance and participatory democracy through fostering peer learning and harnessing lesson-learning in election management on the continent of Africa.
The Forum is also part of the PAPS’ overall strategy for electoral assistance to the Member States in line with the mandate bestowed upon the AUC under Article 18 of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. Former Chief Justice of Ghana and Member of the Council of State, Justice Sophia Akuffo, expressed concern over the disparities in invalid ballot rates across the continent, citing data from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and calling for more attention.
This significant gathering aims to provide a platform for the election leaders to establish a continental network of senior electoral administrators, fostering peer support among women in election management leadership across Africa.
The agenda for the 9th forum included reviewing international and regional normative frameworks on political participation in Africa. By doing so, the participants seek to enhance the role of rejected votes in political processes and election management on the continent.
Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and President of the AAEA Executive Committee, Jean Mensa, in her opening remarks, emphasized the need for e-voting and called on greater collaboration among African electoral bodies.
She noted that rejected ballots undermine democracy stressed the importance of comprehensive stakeholder engagement to address the challenge and urged electoral bodies across Africa to collaborate and adopt innovative solutions such as e-voting to enhance the integrity and efficiency of electoral processes on the continent.
Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the African Union, Patience Chiradza, reaffirmed the AU’s commitment to strengthening democratic governance. She warned that a high incidence of rejected ballots can erode public trust in electoral processes and urged electoral commissions to implement clear guidelines to minimize voter errors.
Founder and Executive Director of the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), Fabio Bargiacchi, highlighted the role of international partnerships in improving Africa’s electoral systems. He stated that learning from global best practices could help electoral management bodies design more voter-friendly ballot systems, ultimately reducing ballot rejection rates.
Source Frank Owusu Obimpeh
