C'wealth team in Ghana to observe elections

Former leader of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom The Commonwealth Baroness Valerie Amos, is leading a 7-member Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to the forthcoming presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma has announced. The COG will observe the elections and events of its immediate aftermath and depart on the December 15.

Announcing the composition of the COG, Mr. Sharma said that the mandate of the Group is to “determine in its own judgment whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards for democratic elections to which Ghana has committed itself, with reference to national election-related legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments.”

The commonwealth sees it as a particularly important election for Ghana since President Kufour is stepping down after serving his two terms. The Commonwealth looks forward to a peaceful and orderly election process, in which all parties have the opportunity to participate fully. He said that the country's development in recent years has been made possible because of the political stability the country enjoys, and it is essential that this is maintained and improved. The forthcoming election will be the fifth since Ghana’s return to multiparty democracy in 1992.