President Akufo-Addo says the Electoral Commission (EC) has a greater responsibility for the conduction of credible elections as December 7, 2024 general election approaches.
Presenting a message on the State of the Nation to Parliament on Tuesday February 27, 2024, President Akufo-Addo assured of his government’s commitment towards resourcing the EC and called on all stakeholders including the political parties which he said have their credibility at stake as the electioneering campaign sets in.
“A lot of the responsibility lies on the Electoral Commission to put the organisation in place that would ensure that we have credible elections. Government is doing its part to make the work of the Electoral Commission go smoothly” the president said.
“Government, on its part, will do what is expected of it to make sure that the reputation of Ghana is not damaged, and the free will of the people is manifested at the end of the electoral process; and I want to reassure the people of Ghana that I will do everything in my power to help ensurethe conduct of transparent, free and fair elections on 7th December”.
The president also charged the political parties to demonstrate a high sense of maturity as the general election approaches
“It is up to the parties to demonstrate that competitive elections are an honourable, character enhancing experience, and, at the end of the process, the loser will congratulate the winner, and the world does not come to an end because an election has been lost.
There is nothing inherently dirty or corrupt about politics, and nothing about elections that should generate violence. We, who are in politics and we who are members of political parties, owe it to ourselves, the institutions we claim to belong to, and, above all, we owe it to Ghana and the people of Ghana to make politics and elections the serious and joyful phenomenon they should be”. he said.
According to him, elections are the pillars upon which democracies are founded therefore credible polls engender the confidence of the citizenry in the elected government.
“Mr Speaker, democracies are founded on elections, and the holding of free and credible elections ensure that people have confidence in the government that emerges at the end of the process”, President Akufo-Addo stated.
He encouraged the EC to work with the political parties to resolve challenges amicably for the in the discharge of their responsibilities.
Source: Christian Kpesese