The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified its decision to restrict media access to the constituency and regional collation centres ahead of the 2024 general elections.
The move, according to the EC is aimed at improving the efficiency and security of the collation process.
Under the revised guidelines, only eight media outlets will be permitted at each constituency collation centre, while 12 media houses will be allowed at the regional collation centre.
The EC explained that these measures are designed to streamline operations and create a more secure environment for the processing of election results.
Dr. Eric Bossman Asare, the Deputy Commissioner of the EC, provided further clarification during an interview on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, November 26.
He emphasized that the restrictions are necessary to ensure a smooth and effective collation process at both the constituency and regional levels.
“We arrived at our conclusion based on our history and the nature of the collation centres. If you are not very careful and you don’t manage the centres very well, you may end up having a lot of challenges to deal with. So, the commission believes that this particular arrangement will create a very smooth collation at the constituency and the regional level.
“We are not only reducing numbers for the media, it is something which cuts across. We are making the point that with the 8 media houses, let us take a constituency like Banda, Hohoe, or Bantama and you have eight media houses, we think they should be enough to be able to send the information,” he stated.
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