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Two-hundred ECOWAS observers for
Ghana's polls
Accra, Oct. 28, Ghanadot/GNA - The ECOWAS Commission is to
send a 200-man observer team, headed by former Nigerian Head
of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, to monitor Ghana's December 7
polls, the body's pre-election fact-finding mission to Ghana
disclosed in Accra on Tuesday.
Professor Amos Sawyer, former interim president of Liberia,
who heads the mission, said ECOWAS considered Ghana a "trail
blazer" of democracy in the sub-region and on the continent,
and thus would make its presence felt continuously in the
country until after the elections.
He was interacting with Interior Minister Kwame Addo-Kufuor
when the mission called on him at his office to enquire
about preparations towards the elections.
Prof. Sawyer said ECOWAS was not only interested on events
surrounding the immediate casting of ballots but the
processes leading to the election and the post-election
environment.
"We are not here to tell Ghanaians what to do, but to lend a
hand as to what the Commission can do to ensure free, fair
and credible elections," he said.
"Ghana has blazed the trail for democracy in Africa, and
Africa is proud of this development and progress made over
the years. We are very hopeful that results of the elections
would be credible and the process would be free and fair."
The Mission has interacted with major actors in the
impending elections, including the Electoral Commission,
Government, Civil Society Organisations, political parties
and their presidential candidates.
Prof. Sawyer told the media that the mission was getting
full cooperation from stakeholders and that discussions so
far had been "open, frank and informative".
The mission is to submit a report to the ECOWAS President
after they find their facts.
Dr Addo-Kufuor assured the mission that whatever the outcome
of the polls, it would be regarded as the "sovereign will"
of the people.
"The results of the election would be accepted irrespective
of which party wins.
"But if the peace of this country is subverted, government
would ensure that it is dealt with decisively for law and
order to be maintained...there would be peace in this
country before, during and after the elections irrespective
of what people say.”
Dr Addo-Kufuor told the mission that government believed in
principles of democracy, saying, "the government of the New
Patriotic Party places the interest of the people of Ghana
above all party considerations".
He said the security agencies were poised to ensure that the
elections were generally free of violence, and that they had
been given express orders to remain politically neutral.
Dr Addo-Kufuor also used the medium to deny as false,
rumours that the ruling party was geared towards
manipulating the election in its favour.
GNA
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