Workshop on electoral conflict held at Akwatia

Akwatia, June 27, GNA - The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), is undertaking an interactive public education and training in the Eastern, Ashanti and Northern Regions to curb electoral violence and conflicts in Ghana.

It forms part of strategic efforts to sustain political stability in the country and is aimed at building the capacity of the NCCE field officers, electoral officers, political activists, communal leaders, traditional authorities and religious leaders. This is to enable the officials or leaders to deal with conflict situations that have the potential to affect the electoral process and governance in general.

In the Eastern Region, stakeholders' workshops are being organized in Kwaebibirem, Atiwa, West Akyem and Yilo Districts. Addressing the Kwaebibirem workshop at Akwatia, a hot-spot of political violence and conflict, Mrs Augustina Akumanyi, Deputy Chairman of the NCCE, noted that the first step in participatory democracy was elections. She said under normal circumstances, one would be tempted to say that Ghanaian voters have had enough experience at the polls such that one needed not to bother oneself over electoral difficulties.

Mrs Akumanyi, however, noted that if experience was the best teacher, then one could confidently say that the upcoming district assembly elections presented a number of challenges. She said there were processes of resolution of electoral disputes, but unfortunately majority of voters and in particular, political party activists were not aware of those conflict resolution mechanism, hence the workshop. Mr. Eric Bortey, Eastern Regional Director of the NCCE, said election itself was a process involving registration of voters, campaigning, voting and declaration of results, which are often problematic. He said it was necessary that Ghanaians, especially leaders of political parties to educate their followers of the electoral process and advice them to refrain from electoral violence and conflicts. The Kwaebibirem District Officer of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Gabriel Dei, took the participants through topics such as what is election, type of elections, electoral process, registration of voters, exhibition of voters' registers, and nomination of candidates and replacement of lost ID cards among others.

He said there were so many avenues for dealing with electoral disputes and emphasized that force and vandalism was certainly not one of the avenues. The Akwatia District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nana Ekow Yawson, challenged security personnel to exercise professionalism and remain neutral, especially in handling electoral issues. 26 June 10