ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Support Ghana Polls
An ECOWAS Election Observation Mission for Ghana’s general elections scheduled to take place on Friday, is in the country to lend support and strengthen democratic governance in the region, the ECOWAAS Commissioner of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Mrs. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, said in Accra on Tuesday.
In a statement issued by the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja on Wednesday, Suleiman, who accompanied the head of mission, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on a visit to some Ghanaian stakeholders, said the region and the entire world were looking forward to peaceful, free, fair, and transparent elections in Ghana.
She said the ECOWAS mission was reassured following the stakeholder visits, which were expected to continue and lead up to balloting on Friday.
In addition, the Commissioner noted that the observers would be the eye and ear of the Commission and the region, to ensure that the electoral processes were successful and that all the actors played by the rule.
The ECOWAS observation team, led by Chief Obasanjo comprises representatives of various segments of the West African sub-region is in Ghana within the context of the region’s instrument for provision of support to member states holding elections.
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadré Désiré Ouédraogo, was also expected in Ghana to provide additional support to the mission and to express ECOWAS’ solidarity with the government and people of Ghana during the elections.
An ECOWAS assessment mission was in Ghana last October to review preparations for the elections during which the mission interacted with various stakeholders, including representatives of political parties, security agencies, civil society organizations, the national electoral commission, and other stakeholders to discuss their perspectives on the preparations for the elections.
More than 13 million Ghanaian biometric registered voters are qualified to cast their ballots on Friday to elect a president from among eight presidential candidates and hundreds of contenders for the 275-seat parliament.
ECOWAS seeks through the Election Observation Missions to promote a culture of transparent and credible elections and enhance good governance, regional peace and stability.
Source African Press Agency
African News from NetNewsPublisher.com
Category: Africa
