Govt. asked to equip NCCE

Ho (Volta Region) - The Government has been called upon to equip the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and other relevant organisations to intensify the education of the electorate on their rights and responsibilities during the elections in December.

This was contained in a seven-point communiqu? issued at the end of a day's seminar on election reporting for journalists at Ho on Friday.

The Communiqu? asked the government to resource the media especially GBC Television with cameras to ensure fair coverage of political activities in the regions.

It also called on political leaders to avoid offensive public utterances and to tolerate one another's views.

The communiqu? urged political parties to come out with well- defined programmes and issues devoid of personality attacks.

It enjoined supporters of political parties to accommodate divergent views and to avoid booing and jeering at each other.

On the media, the communiqu? advised journalists to ensure balanced reporting during the election period to avoid confrontation and conflict.

It called for improved co-ordination and collaboration among the media, Electoral Commission (EC) and other stakeholders.

The seminar was organised by the International PEN, a non- governmental organisation and sponsored by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). The theme was "towards peaceful, free and fair elections: the role of the writer".