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ACCRA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) – As Ghana’s general elections approach, most people have expressed confidence that the elections will take place in a peaceful manner.
On Monday, more than 17 million eligible Ghanaians are expected to cast their votes at 38,622 polling stations across the country to elect a president and 275 members of parliament.
John Osei Tutu Agyeman, former broadcaster and media consultant, believes in the ability of the security services to ensure a peaceful atmosphere before, during and after elections.
“We have had these same fears in the past, but the 2012 and 2016 elections turned out to be peaceful and beautiful, and I believe that the security services will again rise to the occasion to preserve peace in the country,” said Agyeman the director of the Institute of Media Practice, a group of media experts, also told Xinhua.
Sharing similar views, Kingdom Concept Consult Director Princess Sekyere-Bih said “The Ghana Police Service has assured us that we will have a very peaceful election and we look forward to a peaceful outcome.”
“They have not only deployed more trained men, but this time, they have more resources to ensure peace,” he said.
Although there were clashes between party supporters during voter registration in June and July, the 2020 election campaign has been largely peaceful as the COVID-19 pandemic limited outdoor activities.
“This gives us a preview of what could happen, so it should inform about the strategies that the police will put in place for peace during the elections,” Aremeyaw Shaibu, chairman of the Coalition of National Election Observers based in in Ghana.
Shaibu urged the security services to be at their best professional level to ensure a peaceful atmosphere during and after the elections.
Although some were concerned about some isolated events, Ghanaian society in general was hopeful for a peaceful outcome for the elections, according to recent findings from the Center for Democratic Development of Ghana (CDD-Ghana).
“Stakeholders are important,” said Rhoda Osei-Afful, a CDD expert, adding that the Electoral Commission (EC) “is in charge of matters when it comes to elections.”
“How they involve the electorate, political parties and their election officials will be critical to ensuring peace,” Osei-Afful told Xinhua.
The expert also urged political parties to help their supporters channel their complaints to the EC through established channels to minimize incidents of unnecessary resentment.
Ghana’s police service has identified 4,098 areas where chaos is likely to break out before the elections and has provided reports to the National Election Security Task Force to guide its tactical arrangements and deployments in 16 regions.
The 4,098 hotspots include historic hotspots related to elections and places where other forms of violence and crime have occurred in history, said Yaw Nketia Yeboah, a spokesman for the Ghana Police Service.
Urging citizens to respect the law, the spokesman said: “Do not go and teach people who to vote for at the polling station. If you have any campaign to do, do it at home, not at the polling stations.” “
Monday’s presidential election marks the third time current President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and former President John Dramani Mahama will run for the presidency.
Political parties have accelerated their campaign activities. Akufo-Addo signed a presidential peace pact on Friday, pledging to guarantee peace during the elections. Final product
