Star-Ghana II election project launched
As part of its contribution towards ensuring free, fair and peaceful general election in November, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in partnership with Law and Development Associates (LADA) Institute has launched the Star-Ghana II project.
The project dubbed: “Consolidating The Electoral Justice System in Ghana,” aims at ensuring the legality of the electoral process, safeguard the political rights of the public and educate the public on their electoral rights.
Its overall intention is to reduce the risk of violence that may emanate from electoral proceedings and processes.
It also seeks to increase citizens’ confidence in the electoral justice system and to empower the citizenry to identify, report and resolve electoral conflicts.
“The focus of this project is to enhance the electoral system by joining forces and collaborating with the Electoral Commission to initiate and galvanise reforms of its laws,” Ms Daphne Lariba Nabila, the Executive Director, LRC remarked on Friday at the launch of the project in Accra.
LRC is a non-governmental organisation with significant community-based grassroots initiatives.
She said holding of elections is an important event in a country’s political atmosphere, since it highlights the level of democracy.
She noted that the competitive and politically divisive nature of elections and technical complexity make them vulnerable to abuse, fraud or perceptions thereof.
The Executive Director said these are some of the issues and observations made during the ruling of the 2012 election petition in 2013.
Ms Nabila said the body would work with stakeholders to prepare the easy to read instructions on election rules and regulations for the public.
“Because the media connects to their elected officials, and because the media can help to show where regulation and reforms should take place and what those changes should look like, the media is an important part of the electoral education and reform process..
“Working with the media we believe, this Star-Ghana Project can achieve its aims of an educated and engaged public; freer and fairer elections and the consolidation of the electoral justice in Ghana,” she added.
The Acting Chairman of the National Commission on Civic Education, Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah said “we would succeed as a nation when the people have confidence in the electoral justice system”.
He said Ghana being the beacon of democracy in the sub-region, cannot afford to fail in its electoral process.
He cautioned Ghanaians not to take the relative peace and stability of the nation for granted.
Mr Mark Ofori-Amanfo, the Managing Director, LADA Institute said the key objective of the Institute is to touch the lives of various people by empowering them with different skills from diverse international linkages.
He said LADA Institute would offer technical and research support to the Star-Ghana II Project.
Mr Nantogmah Abdul-Rashid, Ayawaso District Electoral Officer, said the Star-Ghana II Project when fully executed would help reduce electoral violence and also ensure free and fair elections.
He urged the organisers to ensure that political parties and candidates are made an integral part of the project.
Mr Adam Abdul Fatah, the Programmes Director, Federation of Youth Clubs advised Ghanaians, especially the youth to eschew violence before, during and after general election.
He said it is important that Ghanaians draw lessons from the horrific Rwandan genocide of 1994; during which one million people were killed within 100 days.
Source: GNA