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Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 05:21:56 EST
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Subject: [wa-afr] Election Irregularities Not New
Thema: [unioNews] Election Irregularities Not New
Datum: 30.11.00 09:21:51 (MEZ) Mitteleuropäische Zeit
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Election Irregularities Not New
The Independent
November 29, 2000
Accra
In the US Professor Dan Smith a campaign and election expert and a visiting
Fulbright scholar with the Department of Political Science University of
Ghana, Legon, said last Tuesday that his country is not immune to electoral
problems. He revealed that election results are contested in the United
States all the time, even though this is the first high profile case
involving the Presidency.
Professor Smith was speaking at a forum organized by the Political Science
Students Association (POSSA) to throw more light on the election dispute
between Vice President Al Gore and Governor George Bush in the US. He
described the electoral college system as a relic of the past.
According to him it was a compromise reached by the framers of the American
Constitution to try and reconcile the extreme stances of those who wanted a
popular vote or "first past the post" system and those with vested interests
and property in society who felt that in order for their interests to be
protected, they had to prevent certain classes of people from voting.
He explained that the United States does not have an independent electoral
commission as exists in Ghana. This he said is because the United States as a
federation has functions divided between the central government and state
governments and the electoral process happens to be one of the functions left
to the individual states to decide.
This has led to varying electoral laws across the nation. To illustrate,
Prof. Smith intimated that, in some states voters can register on the day of
elections, while in others registration must take place 90 days before going
to the polls. He said that several attempts to change the Electoral College
system had been scuttled in congress, but believes that a more vigorous
attack should be expected in the light of recent events.
He wondered if Governor Bush would have the moral authority to rule inspite
of the likelihood that is will win the election. Mr. John Temin, also a
Fulbright scholar attached to the Centre for Democracy and Development in
Accra confessed that he found some of the reported irregularities in the
elections frightening.
He was referring to reports, that a box of ballots was found in a church, as
well as reports of already punched ballots and some African Americans being
turned away from polling stations. In response to a question as to what a
republican government's policy towards Africa would be, Mr. Temin Admitted
that it would be difficult to say, since both candidates largely ignored
Africa in their campaigns.
He however speculated that a republican government would probably pay less
attention to the continent. Professor Mike Ocquaye of the Political Science
Department of the University in his remarks, pointed out that the strength of
the American system could be seen in the fact that the rule of law still
applies inspite of the crisis. He observed that no soldier has used the
ongoing dispute as an excuse to seize power.
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