The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Charlotte Osei says the Commission will maintain its controversial new logo because it reminds the commission of the values needed for its work.
Speaking at the launch of the logo and the Commission’s five-year strategic plan, Charlotte Osei said the new identity embodied the vision of the EC.
“This is our new logo. We like it. We picked it. It makes us happy and it reminds us of all the values that we want to bring into our work and where we are going as a commission.”
Madam Osei further explained that the decision to move away from the old logo which featured the Coat of Arms and a ballot box was to separate them from the authority of the state. She also stated that the mandate of the EC spanned beyond the ballot box.
“Why did we remove the Coat of Arms? It’s because we do not represent the authority of the state. We are more than the ballot box. Our mandate is beyond just the ballot box as we’ve explained and we believe that the Coat of Arms does not speak to the independence, legal and functional independence of the commission.”
Controversy over new logo
The new logo, which appeared in place of EC’s original logo, had generated a lot of debate amongst the public with some suggesting that the Commission must not change the original one.
While others have criticized the logo as not being original, others said it was of poor quality and did not communicate the functions of the commission.
Some critics have also said the timing of the new logo was improper considering that the commission has a financial task of organizing the November 7 elections.
President John Mahama waded into the debate and suggested that the controversy over the logo was needless.
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By: Nana Ama Agyemang Asante/citifmonline.com/Ghana