The Electoral Commission of Ghana managed to reduce the cost of conducing elections in by half during the 2020 elections, a Director for Training at the EC, Mr Michael Boadu, has said.

He said this at a post-election event held by the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) on Monday April 26.

He stated that “As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our offshore items which had to be transported by air had a further hike in prices from what was paid in 2012, 2016. In 2020, the Commission paid full tax on all its offshore items. This notwithstanding, we managed to reduce the cost of the election by almost half the 2016 amount.”

“For the first time, the ballot papers, BVDs, and the voter registers were sent to the districts two weeks before the election day, as against the past where they get to their destinations a day to the election.”

“With the exception of the printing of the ballot papers which has security implications and the production of TV and radio adverts, all other procurements were done openly through the newspapers. It is important to emphasise that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the cost of the elections, in that we purchased face masks for some 240,000 staff, and also got them other PPE.”

He added “Again, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of our offshore items which had to be transported by air had a further hike in prices from what was paid in 2012, 2016. In 2020, the Commission paid full tax on all its offshore items. This notwithstanding, we managed to reduce the cost of the election by almost half the 2016 amount.”

“It is thus indisputable that the 2020 parliamentary and presidential elections were the most successful, well-coordinated, efficient, and the most peaceful election organised in the 4th Republic of Ghana,” Mr. Boadu added.

Source: 3news