EC, political parties must work together

Ghana has experienced successful elections since it reverted to democratic rule under the Fourth Republican dispensation, including occasions when incumbent administrations lost power to the opposition.

Without a doubt, the road has not been easy, especially in the early days when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) boycotted parliamentary elections on the grounds that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), an offshoot of the then-military regime, the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), had stolen the people's power.

Thirty years later, the country is still bogged down in accusations and counter-accusations regarding election rigging by the country's two largest political parties, the NPP and the NDC.

During this time span, we've also seen violence that resulted in injuries or deaths during voter registration exercises or general elections, with the most recent instance occurring during the 2020 general election, resulting in the loss of some lives.

However, as one of Ghana's electoral commissioners, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, has stated, “elections are won at the polling station, not at the Electoral Commission headquarters, where presidential election results are collated and announced”.

The Daily Graphic believes that promoting legitimate national election is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders, including the political parties, civil society organisations (CSOs), and the media.

We can't shirk our responsibility while expecting other stakeholders to do our bidding.

We trust that the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) was founded in this spirit of collaborative responsibility in order to bring together all stakeholders participating in our elections and agree on a means to ensure free, fair, and transparent elections.

Although the IPAC has performed admirably thus far, the NDC's absence from its meetings due to alleged bias towards the party or the platform being used to pass on information to the parties should be reconsidered.

We recognise that it is an advisory body whose decisions are not binding on the Electoral Commission (EC), but it is vital that the EC thoroughly evaluates the NDC's concerns, as a key stakeholder in our democracy, in order to find a way forward.

The Daily Graphic believes that elections cannot be held in a toxic environment with so much mistrust, whether apparent, perceived or real.

We also urge the NDC to reconsider its approach and return to the IPAC to express its concerns, so that they may be counted upon as evidence, if those issues are not addressed.

Most meaningfully, we know that the IPAC has always served as a forum for dialogue and deliberation on issues that promote peace and enhance the credibility of our elections.

This is due to the fact that it offers a platform for the achievement of a  common consensus on critical issues that impact political parties.

As the 2024 general election approaches, the nation must find a way to strengthen the interaction between political parties on one hand and the EC on the other.

This is the only way to keep the peace in our democratic dispensation.

We cannot, therefore, afford to lose the peace we currently enjoy as a result of electoral violence or conflicts.

And, if the language used by some political activists is any indicator, then things could even get worse when it comes to the major electioneering.

That is why we commend the National Peace Council (NPC) for being proactive in advising political parties to exercise discretion in the use of words or language on electoral platforms.

The Daily Graphic also encourages civil society organisations to follow in the footsteps of the NPC by undertaking initiatives to alleviate political tensions in order to have successful and peaceful election in 2024.

Advocacy groups and CSOs should not wait till election season to be seen and heard.

Since ensuring credible national election cannot be left alone in the hands of political parties and the EC, all hands must be on deck from now until the general election in 2024.