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President Nana Akufo-Addo says that the holding of free, fair and transparent elections, the outcome of which is indisputable, constitutes a good basis for strengthening cohesion among Ghanaian citizens and preventing unnecessary disputes.
Speaking at the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Annual Conference, albeit through virtual means on Monday, President Akufo-Addo explained that from 1992 to date, the conduct of the country’s elections has evolved significantly.
According to him, the current multiplicity of media organizations and the power of social media, the existence of transparent ballot boxes, the decentralized nature of counting and tabulation, and the mode of voter verification have generated increasing trust on the part of citizenship in the process. to choose their leaders.
Along with compiling a new voter registry prior to the December 2020 election, the President explained that all of these improved processes have strengthened the nation’s cohesion.
They have also repudiated as fallacious the assertions expressed at various times in history that democratic governance would generate instability and ethnic conflict, “he added.
“There have been those who went so far as to affirm that democracy was inherently alien to our culture and social structure. The continued success of the Fourth Republic provides the most effective response to this unfortunate point of view. “
With electoral disputes raging in some African countries, Akufo-Addo stated that Ghana has been spared such incidents.
“We have the good sense of the people of Ghana to thank for this, and we must continue to act as checks and balances between us.”
However, the President noted that Ghanaians cannot and should not take this good fortune for granted, urging all candidates, voters and citizens to behave in a way that holds us together as one people, regardless of our ethnic, religious differences. , gender or politics. and affiliations.
The Ghana Project cannot afford ethnic upheavals and sectarian uprisings ”.
Akufo-Addo believed that the pressing challenge for Ghana is to successfully negotiate the interface between elections and democratic governance, institution building and development, poverty, employment and economic growth, with the primary goal of enriching the dignity of citizens. Ghanaians.
“There are many examples of countries around the world where that stable period of constitutional government and smart management of the economy led to general prosperity. We in Ghana can profitably emulate them, because we can do it if we work on it, ”he added.
He expressed his joy at the fact that “the political class and the interested parties have agreed on the need, in the face of the pandemic, to hold the general elections in December scheduled to promote the evolution of our constitutional order and maintain the culture where the Power Executive and legislative is exercised in the Fourth Republic only by duly elected officials. Ghana’s democracy will be stronger because of that shared commitment. ”
He assured members of the Bar Association that his government is making unremitting efforts to ensure peace and stability for the nation as Ghana enters the final three months of the election campaign.
“Ghana has rightly earned a reputation as the leader in democratic governance on the continent, a reputation that I am determined to maintain and indeed enhance before, during and after the December 7 elections,” said the President. .
He called for the cooperation and assistance of all citizens, especially the members of the Bar Association, stating that “we must all work together to create the environment that will allow the people of Ghana to make their decision on December 7 in freedom, peace. and security. It’s your right. “
“When my time is up, hopefully, after four more years, I want to hand over my successor and the sovereign people of Ghana a country that is bigger, fairer, stronger, more cohesive, more prosperous and more united than what I met in 2017.
This is the solemn commitment to which I have committed myself ”, added the President.
