Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante
The National Peace Council has commended political parties for their acceptance of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the new voters’ register.
The council also congratulated all stakeholders for the confidence they have in the judicial processes and encouraged them to continue to resort to non-violent ways to address their differences.
Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, chairman of the National Peace Council in a statement, said “the supreme court has issued a ruling on some legal aspects of voter registration, which has been accepted by all parties concerned.”
He however, asked political parties to continue to use the judicial processes or by alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to address any outstanding election-related dispute.
The National Chairman of the National Peace Council also appealed to the public to refrain from violence and divisive acts and utterances which would threaten the peaceful conduct of elections and the preservation of Ghana’s reputation as a stable democracy.
“As we enter the second half of our election year, the national peace council calls on all citizens of Ghana and all stakeholders to recommit themselves to peace in all their activities and utterances before, during and after the December general elections.
“Over the years, although our electoral process has not been entirely devoid of isolated acts of violence, Ghana has justifiably earned an enviable reputation as an oasis of peaceful constitutionalism in a turbulent region.”
He mentioned that over the past year, concrete steps have been taken to prevent potential threats to peaceful elections this year.
“The two major parties, the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party have, under the auspices of the National Peace Council, declared that political vigilantism is inimical to Ghana’s democratic system and must be eradicated.”
Most Rev. Prof Asante maintained that the two parties publicly subscribed to a roadmap and a code of conduct, the development by the national peace council, on the eradication of political vigilantism and election-related violence.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey
(lindatenyah@gmail.com)