Refusing to sign a pink sheet doesn’t invalidate election results – Afari-Gyan

When polling agents refuse to sign the pink sheets on the day of elections, it does not automatically invalidate the election results, a former Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has said.

Dr Afari-Gyan explained that per the electoral laws, if candidates or agents have concerns, they are required to put their issues into writing and submit to the electoral commission for actions to be taken on them.

If that is not done the commission cannot act on their concerns, he added.

Speaking at a lecture organized by the Rotary Club of Accra West on Wednesday, February 8 Dr Afari-Gyan said “Refusing to sign the pink sheet, as we call it in Ghana, does not automatically invalidate the election results.

“Some candidates believe that if the agents don’t sign it means the results are invalid. Sometimes we are told that the candidates even tell the party ‘if I lose very badly don’t sign it’, thinking that it will be invalidated. No, refusing to sign the pink sheet does not automatically invalidate the election results.

“What does the law say? The law says if you are refusing to sign you must give reasons in writing at the polling station why you do not sign it and then the electoral commission will later look into the reason that you have given. If you have not written any such thing then ignore it.

“So it is important to remember that being an agent at the polling station is brainwork, it is not a brawl, it is not a fight, you are not going to fight at the polling station, it is brainwork, the person must understand what is going on so that he can raise these things.

“I have said many times that given the importance of pink sheets, I think nobody is too big to serve his or her party as an agent on election day.”