Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has
cautioned the Electoral Commission (EC) to be transparent and accountable in
order for Ghana to have peaceful general elections on December 7.The EC,
under Charlotte Osei, is seen by many political pundits as having assumed a
posture of arrogance to the displeasure of well-meaning Ghanaians, as this
year’s elections reach home stretch.
“The referee must be seen to be
transparent and accountable. We talk of transparency and accountability and
these are the cornerstones of our national constitution and the EC should not be
exempted from these provisions,” he told a delegation from the reputable
National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute
(IRI), both based in the United States.
The delegation, led by Johnnie
Carson, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, who is
currently a Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group and the United States
Institute of Peace, had paid a courtesy call on the former president to solicit
his views on the processes leading to the crucial elections.
The team is
expected to conduct a pre-election assessment and specifically look at the
environment on the ground prior to the general elections.
In the process,
the team will meet the political parties, senior and former political leaders,
constituent groups, NGOs and others who are concerned about the democratic
process.
President Kufuor said, “The whole idea is that the EC must be
independent alright, but it should also know that it is accountable to the
people. It is not an independent institution unto itself. It is accountable to
the people generally.” |
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