Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, a Fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has issued a strong appeal to Ghana’s political leaders to prioritise peace and democratic responsibility, warning that the country’s electoral process must never be allowed to descend into violence.
His remarks come in the wake of the recent parliamentary re-run in Ablekuma North, where chaotic scenes at 19 polling stations left six people injured and disrupted voting.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Dr. Osae-Kwapong expressed concern over the persistent political blame game between Ghana’s two leading parties and the failure to move beyond past grievances.
“Elections should not degenerate into violence, and if our two main political parties are going to keep drawing us back into who did what, when, and how in some past election, then unfortunately I get afraid that this will continue,” he warned.
He called on party leaders to shift focus toward a more forward-thinking and responsible posture, adding, “There has to come a point where leaders in both parties should be able to rise up and say okay, enough is enough, we need to chart a new path forward.”
Dr. Osae-Kwapong stressed that elections, as a cornerstone of democracy, must not become events of conflict and harm. “This is an election; we don’t have to kill, beat each other over elections,” he said. “Yes, we always say that elections have consequences, but these are not the kinds of consequences that we should be having.”
He concluded by calling for calm, maturity, and respect for democratic norms, emphasizing the simplicity of a peaceful voting process: “What is so difficult about going to vote, going home, coming back to watch the count, have the winner declared, going home and celebrating your victory? It shouldn’t degenerate into some of these unfortunate scenes.”
His comments add to a growing chorus of concern from civil society organisations about the increasing incidents of electoral violence and the urgent need for political accountability and reform.
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