President Mahama has, appointed Mrs. Charlotte Kesson Smith Osei as Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana becoming the first woman to hold the position since independence in 1957.
The President’s appointment is in accordance with Article 70(2) of the 1992 Constitution.
A statement signed by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah said Mrs. Osei who replaces Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan was until her appointment the Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education.
Mrs. Osei, a lawyer with considerable experience in public service management, institutional reform also has expertise in corporate law, banking, insurance, project financing and public-private partnerships.
The new EC Chairperson holds a Masters in Law (LLM) from Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada and a Masters in Business Leadership from the University of South Africa, Pretoria. She obtained an LLB (Hons) from the University of Ghana in 1992.
Her appointment ends weeks of speculation about who will replace a colossus in Ghana’s electoral administration Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan who is retiring after almost 20 years at the helm.
Mrs Osei is thought to have been propped up into the limelight by the late President Mills when he first made her a member of the Board of Directors of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).
NPP LAUDS HER
The dominant opposition party, New Patriotic Party (NPP), has lauded Mrs Charlotte Osei’s appointment as the new Electoral Commissioner.
Director of Elections of the party, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah, congratulated the new Electoral Commission Chair and expressed confidence in her ability to deliver.
“One cannot question her competence, her abilities. She has been involved in public administration for some time”, he stated.
However, he was unhappy President John Mahama did not address key recommendations in the Constitutional Review Committee report before appointing Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan’s replacement.
“The Constitutional Review Committee report sought a move away from the indefinite tenure of [Electoral Commissioners] to some limited tenure for election administration. Across the globe Ghana seems to be the only odd one in this process of an indefinite tenure”, he said.
He said a limited tenure for Electoral Commissioners brings transparency, efficiency and accountability.
“But all of these, I don’t think, have been properly addressed. For now we can say congratulations to her. One cannot challenge her competence”, he said.
African Eye News.com
