Political parties urged respect code of conduct

Winneba (C/R), Oct. 24, GNA - Political parties, have been urged to respect the Public Order Act and the Code of Conduct for Political Parties to which they have all ratified. The Effutu Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Raymond Tsotome, who made the call at a day's public forum in Winneba, said respect to the two Acts would guarantee fair, free and peaceful elections on December 7, 2008. The forum organized by the Network for Women's Right in Ghana, an NGO based in Accra, was under the theme: "Mobilizing Voter support for Women Parliamentary Candidates in Election 2008". Over 140 participants made up of queen mothers, market women civil society groups, heads of department, assembly members and tradesmen attended the forum.

Speaking on the role of the electorate and political parties, Mr Tsotome said: "Let us all conduct ourselves responsible by respecting the laws of the land". He said that the relative peace that the nation was enjoying must be maintained during and after the elections so that Ghanaians could continue to carry out their day to day activities. The NCCE Director called on the security services and the judiciary to be neutral and firm in their dealing with the cases that would be brought up before them to ensure that justice prevailed. He appealed to the Electoral Commission to adopt the right measures to towards ensuring transparent and peaceful election. Mr Tsotome was hopeful that the Network for Women's Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) in collaboration with the Women's Manifesto Coalition (WMC) and other related organizations would continue to struggle for the mainstreaming of women's issues. The Deputy Governor of NETRIGHT, Madam Adwoa Sakyi, said the aim of the NGO is to campaign for changes to achieve women's equal rights and to draw attention to violations of women's rights. She said it also aims to educate the public about gender equality and women's right issues.

Madam Hamidu Harrison, Governor of Women's Manifesto Coalition, expressed concern that Ghana with a longer history of voting rights for women, had not yet managed to obtain the 30 per cent minimum threshold advocated by the United Nation. She was speaking on the topic: "Basis for Promoting Women in Politics and Decision-making; strategies for promoting Affirmative Action".