IDEG

Civil society organisations are urging all Ghanaians to repeat all the right actions taken prior to the December 7, 2008 election that resulted in a successful exercise on the December 28, 2008 presidential run-off.
They said the December 7 elections passed off successfully because of certain actions and right behaviour put up by Ghanaians and key partners in the electoral process, that minimised the potential of having a failed exercise.
They said these same actions and behaviours needed to be repeated for the December 28, 2008, presidential run-off for Ghanaians to show once again their maturity in the process
These were some of the issues raised at a press conference organised by the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), the Civic Initiative Forum, and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at the launch of a report on the lessons of the December 7, 2008 elections and how they could be used for another successful run-of.
The CIF is a coalition of civil society organisations in the country committed to ensuring a credible and fair election this year, and IDEG is a policy research and advocacy organisation focusing on democratic consolidation and good governance in the country and the host of the CFI.
Dr Emmanuel Akwetey who read the report highlighted some of the relevant lessons of the December 7 elections that needed to be repeated for a successful run-off.
Strict compliance with the laid down procedures for voting, counting, tabulation of the results, the open and transparent compliance with and the enforcement of procedures, as well as voter awareness of the basic rules elections and their ability to strictly observe them, were all noted as essential and crucial.
He also mentioned the fact that a high level of civic responsibility both on the part of domestic observers and all voters was vital.
He said political parties and the media were most often not credible sources of election, requiring all to listen to the information provided by them critically, while treating them as inconclusive pieces of information that needed to be verified with the certified results of the EC.
He added that the credibility of the EC and the public confidence in its certified results depended heavily on transparency and professionalism with which its officials, particularly those at the highest levels conducted themselves in the management of the elections.
Dr Akwetey said the disposition of candidates to resort to the due process, that is, the courts for the peaceful adjudication of disputes, and the fair, expeditions and fair dispensation of justice by principled judges would all discourage the use of violence as an option to resolving disputes.
The acceptance of the results by the two political candidates was also crucial to peace and stability, while the zero tolerance of violence and the firm, professional and impartial enforcement of law by the security agencies would discourage anyone from taking the law into their own hands.
“For the second round of the December 28, 2008 presidential elections to be as successful as the December 7 elections, all the above lessons together with others should be effectively applied by all stakeholders, before, during and after the elections,” the report said.
He reminded leaders of the two political parties that a key principle of democracy was that whose who contested elections had to respect the legitimate decisions of the people expressed through credible ballot and transparent voting results processing and declaration.
In all the report said December 7 election was successful, however, campaigning for the presidential run-off had begun with some rancour, personality attacks and nasty accusations that needed to be stopped as they could foreshadow tension on the day of voting.
The report congratulated all stakeholders for a job well done on December 7, by asked for a reinforcement of all the positive initiatives that ensured success in the elections.
Present at the press conference were Dr Emmanuel Bombande the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace Building, Ms Florence Denise, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), representatives from the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) and several other members of the CFI.