Military personnel are trained to shoot and kill; they must not be involved in election security – Chieftaincy Minister

Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng [File Photo]

The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng has proposed that only officers from the Ghana Police Service should be deployed for the 2024 General Election.

Speaking in an interview, he argued that the election may turn into something unpleasant if the military is deployed for the election.

He said the military must only be involved in the 2024 general election unless the Ghana Police Service is overwhelmed with security issues.

“In an election and civil society, it is the Ghana Police Service that we work with. The military doesn’t come in unless it is beyond the Ghana Police Service. The military, as we all know, are trained to shoot and kill, and involving them in election security may turn into something unpleasant,” Stephen Asamoah Boateng told Starr FM.

This view was shared in June by Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin.

In his opening remarks in Parliament on Tuesday, June 11, the Speaker stressed that the military must stay away from polling or voting centres unless they are called in to deal with a situation.

He said the Police must be at the forefront to provide security for the election during the December 7 polls.

“We don’t want to see [the] military during the election. When there is a need to call them, they will be called, but they should not be at polling or voting centres,” Speaker Alban Bagbin noted.