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Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency Lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu has rubbished the Electoral Commission’s (EC) decision to deny some media personnel access to the collation centres on election day.
The MP said the EC’s directive “undermines the press freedom guaranteed” under the 1992 Constitution.
His remarks align with the electoral body’s planned decision to deny access to the collation centres to the print media [Newspapers, Online portals, and bloggers] during the December 7, 2024, elections.
However, the Madina Lawmaker reacted to the decision and spoke against it, indicating that the EC must ensure a reversal of its decision.
“The directive of the EC to restrict media access to collation centres undermines Press Freedom guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution. The directive is a recipe for chaos and disaster and can potentially undermine our democracy. The EC must reverse this unconstitutional decision,” he said in a post on his social media account.
The International Human Rights and Social Advocate reminded the EC of the press freedom contained in the 1992 Constitution.
“Article 162(1) of the 1992 Constitution provides as follows “Freedom and independence of the media are hereby guaranteed.” Article 162(2) states, “Subject to this Constitution and any other law not inconsistent with this Constitution, there shall be no censorship in Ghana,” he added.
According to him, Article 162(5) of the constitution provides that “All agencies of the mass media shall, at all times, be free to uphold the principles, provisions, and objectives of this Constitution, and shall uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people of Ghana.”
Thus, the decision does not fall within the Constitutional Exceptions in Article 164 and violates Articles 17, 23, and 296 of the Constitution.
Francis Xavier-Sosu urged the EC to rescind its decision immediately to promote a free and fair election process.
“The EC must withdraw this discriminatory, unconscionable, and unlawful decision and do the needful to ensure transparency, deepen electoral process and pluralism, and engender trust in our democratic process.”
