EU sending election observers to Ghana

The European Union (EU) has signaled its readiness to send a team of election observers to assess the conduct of next month’s presidential and parliamentary polls.         

Mr. Sotirios Bazikamwe, a Governance Advisor of the Union, said more than 200 observers would be deployed on voting day – fan out across polling centres, nationwide.       

Addressing a meeting of the Kumasi metropolitan inter-party dialogue committee (IPAC), he said an advance team to monitor the election campaign of the various political parties ahead of the election, was already in.
     

The meeting, organized by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and sponsored by the EU, was attended by representatives of the parties.     

The goal was to promote healthy political discourse, remove needless suspicion and tension.                

Mr. Bazikamwe indicated that the EU had over the years’ forged closer relationship with Ghana, and as partners in development, it was interested in the growth of the nation’s democracy.     

He applauded the country for upholding democratic values and he expressed confidence that it would continue to work hard to safeguard the peace and ensure the successful conduct of the polls.     

He underlined the EU’s commitment to support developing nations to build a more stable society to underpin socio-economic growth.      

Mr. Yakubu Alhassan, Ashanti Regional Director of the NCCE, said it would continue to deepen the conversation with all key actors – political parties and youth groups to protect the peace, before, during and after the December 07 election.   

He asked the parties to step back from aggressive political rhetoric and to make sure that the election campaign was substantive on message.

They should tell voters how they were going to address felt needs of the people, whose mandate they were seeking to govern.

Source: GNA