AU, ECOWAS seek violence-free polls in Ghana

The African Union (UA) and the Economic Community of West African (ECOWAS) joint mission has tasked the Ghanaian authorities to ensure violence-free elections on December 7.

The mission also urged the Electoral Commission to ensure strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols.

The joint mission led by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Kassi Brou, was in Ghana between November 15 and 17, 2020, in line with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the 2002 OAU/AU Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa.

The mission, according to a statement by the ECOWAS Commission on Wednesday, took note of the progress and assurances by the Ghananian electoral commission on the level of preparedness towards the elections.

It said, “The mission urged the authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure violence-free elections, and expressed satisfaction on the passing of the vigilantism and related offence Act, 2019, by the parliament of Ghana, and the signing of the code of conduct on the eradication of political vigilantism in Ghana, under the auspices of the national peace council.”

The statement titled, ‘Joint high-level pre-election mission of ECOWAS and African Union to Ghana,’ further noted that the mission commended the authorities for the security measures put in place to ensure a peaceful conduct of elections, and further encouraged all stakeholders to resort to the use of dialogue as a mechanism to address all difference and disputes on issues relating to the elections.

The joint mission also charged the electoral body to work towards the conduct of credible, free, fair and transparent elections.

It urged the electoral commission to continue working closely with all stakeholders for an inclusive process.