Dr. Emmanuel O. Akwetey, Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), has expressed concern that Ghana has not taken sufficient measures to deter violence and boost public confidence ahead of the upcoming December polls.
Speaking at the IDEG Ghana Speaks High-Level Forum in Accra on Thursday, October 10, under the theme “Advancing Peace, Unity, and National Cohesion in Ghana,” Dr. Akwetey emphasised that the necessary steps to ensure a peaceful electoral process had not been fully implemented.
He highlighted that the Electoral Commission (EC) often faces criticism regarding these issues, primarily due to concerns surrounding the selection process of EC officials.
According to Dr. Akwetey, the manner in which electoral officials are appointed sometimes undermines public trust in the institution, which can fuel tensions during election periods.
Dr. Akwetey called for stronger efforts to enhance transparency and confidence in the electoral process, stressing that peaceful and credible elections are essential for maintaining unity and national cohesion.
“We haven’t done what we should do to deter violence. We haven’t done what we should do to increase our confidence in a peaceful, credible, and fair election, and when we look at it all, we have tended to put all the blame or expectation or whatever on the EC. That they will be able to do some kind of thing that will undermine confidence in the register.”
“…The fact of the matter is that the reforms needed, and the institutions required to manage more challenging elections haven’t occurred, and we don’t trust our chairmen of the EC because of the way they are.
“NDC comes, they appoint; NPP comes, they appoint, and now that alone creates suspicion that people put in charge cannot be credible enough to do the work professionally,” he stated.