Accra, March 13, GNA - Dr Edmond N. Delle, National Chairman of the Convention People's Party (CPP) on Saturday called on the media, security services and other democratic state institutions to exhibit objectivity in the discharge of their functions if elections in the country must be peaceful and violence-free.
He said: "Government must also avoid taking advantage of its incumbency to use state property in attending to party activities and suppressing dissenting views"
Dr Delle, who expressed these sentiments in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, noted that in the absence of right conditions for peaceful elections, no amount of sermonising could guarantee violence-free elections.
The CPP Chairman and Leader called on Ghanaians to adopt a more proactive attitude towards the forthcoming elections and avoid apathy that often characterised the political scene.
"We must bring into the political arena our love for peace, tolerance of different political opinions and resolve for honesty and transparency in the December Elections."
He stressed the need for Ghanaians to cherish their franchise and use it wisely. They should not allow themselves to be bribed or intimidated by any political personality or group into casting a vote other than the one dictated by their own conscience and weighed preference.
"Ghanaians must be vigilant of utterances calculated to foment animosities of any kind, be they tribal, political, as well as social, (that could bring about tension and violence).
"We must be ready to correct errors, report malpractice and condemn undemocratic acts and activities."
The CPP Leader said the world at large was watching the country's democratic development to see whether Ghana had come of age in her politics and democracy and was waiting to "see how smoothly we shall transit once again from one government to another under the Fourth Republican democratic dispensation".
On the forthcoming Voter Registration Exercise, the CPP Leader urged the Electoral Commission to be guided by experiences to avoid the mistakes of the past.
He enumerated some of the lapses as late reporting to duty posts by registration officials, insufficient registration materials, exhibition of lack of knowledge by the officials and confusion between registration officials and party agents.
Dr Delle also appealed to the EC to ensure that unauthorized personalities were not allowed within the registration environment to reduce the undue interference, especially Government functionaries. He said the registration exercise was a test of the integrity of the electoral process and called on all stakeholders to be vigilant to ensure that the December Elections was guaranteed from the start.
He appealed to the EC to soberly reflect on its activities to ensure the majority of the citizenry was pleased with it to achieve the objective Election 2004.
