2016 is Ghana’s crucial year – Rawlings

Former president Jerry John Rawlings is calling on political and religious leaders to safeguard the peace of Ghana by being decorous with their utterances ahead of the 2016 elections.

Describing 2016 as “a crucial year,” the former military ruler called on all to play their part to ensure that Ghana sail through its seventh poll under the Fourth Republic smoothly.

“I think 2016 is going to be a very crucial year,” the founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) said.

“It is going to be a testing time for all of us. I don’t want to be as fatalistic as suggesting that it could be a make or break situation.

"I will play my part and do whatever I can to ensure the integrity of this process and I can only make an appeal to you the leaders to do the same,” the first democratic ruler under the 1992 Constitution told executives of the People’s National Convention (PNC) when its flagbearer Dr Edward Mahama paid a courtesy call on him.

He added that politicians and religious leaders must do “everything possible to prevent provocative language” before, during and after the elections.

Ghana will be heading to the polls on November 7 to elect a president and parliamentarians. The frontrunners are incumbent president John Dramani Mahama and opposition New Patriotic Party’s Nana Akufo-Addo.