Vote buying reported in Ashanti, Savannah, and Western regions – CODEO

The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has raised concerns over instances of vote buying in the Ashanti, Savannah, and Western regions.

In its second report from its observation of the pre-election environment ahead of the December 7, 2024, presidential and parliamentary elections, released on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, CODEO highlighted that political figures are distributing money and valuables to voters in an attempt to influence their voting decisions.

The report, which covers the period from October 26 to November 8, 2024, is part of CODEO’s comprehensive observation of the upcoming elections.

The findings were based on weekly observation reports filed by 97 CODEO Long-Term Observers (LTOs) from 97 constituencies across all regions of the country. A total of 193 weekly reports filed by these observers during the reporting period were analysed for this report.

CODEO emphasized that 10% of the observer reports received indicated instances of vote buying, stating that “Observers also noted instances of vote-buying, with 10% of reports received within the period indicating so.

“This involved people being given money or valuables to influence their vote. These incidents were observed in some constituencies in the Ashanti, Savannah, and Western regions.”

CODEO also said its observers noted instances of potential abuse of incumbency by incumbent candidates or appointees of the government.

“About 11% of observer reports noted the use of public (state or local) vehicles for campaigning on behalf of an incumbent candidate. For instance, in the Tatale-Sanguli constituency in the Northern Region, the NPP Parliamentary candidates’ flyers were used to brand the government-led District Road Improvement Program (DRIP), which saw the distribution of earth-moving equipment to MMDAs for road improvement.

“The campaign flyers of the Tatale-Sanguli Member of Parliament and parliamentary candidate for the constituency were seen on the DRIP Program equipment (bulldozer), which was being used to maintain and expand roads in the Sagban community.”

CODEO therefore called on all stakeholders, especially law enforcement agencies, to enforce laws that prohibit vote buying and abuse of incumbency, which contribute to uneven playing grounds for all presidential and parliamentary candidates ahead of the election.