Elections 2004 (Results) - Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Ghana Office

The 2004 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
It is significant to note from the above table that only about two percent (2%) of the Returning Officers and the Deputy
Returning Officers recruited for the 2004 General Elections turned out to women.
Its also significant to note that out of the five hundred and fifty (550) officers whose professional background was
indicated, over seventy three percent (73.8%) were from teaching service (GES) and that only a little over twenty six
percent (26.2%) belong to other public sector organisations such as NCCE, VAT SERVICE, IRS, MOH, MFA and
DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION.
More importantly, it should be pointed out that all the officers were picked from and assigned to localities within which
they do their normal work so that the Commission could benefit from their good knowledge of the field.
In the interest of the exercise they were expected to own their own vehicles or to have easy assess to official vehicles
which they could use in the field if the arose.
The Chairman of the Commission is the returning officer for the presidential election.
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF TEMPORARY STAFF
Through its Regional and District Officers, and with the help of the Returning officers and Deputy Returning officers,
the Electoral Commission recruited and selected twenty-one thousand and four (21,004) Presiding Officers one to a
polling station) and eighty-four thousand and sixteen (84,016) Polling Assistants, four to a polling station.
The criteria for their selection were:
a) Experience in electoral duties— the applicants should have participated in some election
related activty in the past.
b) Political neutrality – the applicant should not be known to be an activist or a card-bearing
member of a political party.
c) Competence- as shown in past performance.
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