Report By: Ishmael Barfi
A recent report by the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana) has revealed a disturbing trend of electoral violence during Ghana’s 2024 general elections.
According to the report, six people lost their lives, while 46 others were injured in 76 separate incidents of electoral violence.
The incidents occurred in various parts of the country, with the majority happening in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mrs. Theodora Williams-Anti, Vice Chair of the National Election Response Group (NERG), expressed concern over the proliferation of illegal weapons and guns in the system.
According to her, the use of guns has been perpetuated by political parties, and it’s unacceptable,” reiterating that “We need to address the issue of gun usage and the implementation of laws regulating firearms.”
Mrs. Williams-Anti, who is also the Executive Director of the Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA Ghana), also emphasized that the political parties have a role to play in preventing electoral violence.
She further noted that the political parties have also encouraged gun usage, bemoaning that, “We’ve seen candidates with guns, even on stage, speaking to people. They have guns. And so, the political parties have also encouraged gun usage.”
The National Election Response Group has vowed to collect data and incidents and to understand the root causes of electoral violence.
The group’s efforts aim to promote peaceful elections and address electoral violence in Ghana.
“We are still in the post-election process, and we are still collecting our data and incidents,” Mrs. Theodora Williams-Anti said.
Adding that “We are trying to understand what happened. So, all of that will come into recommendations later.”
The report’s findings have sparked concerns about the safety and security of Ghana’s electoral process.
Speaking of the findings, she indicated that it’s unfortunate that six deaths were recorded, stressing that “We believe strongly that there is no reason, and there is no way we should be recording deaths during elections.”
The National Election Response Group has called on the relevant authorities to take swift and decisive action to address the root causes of electoral violence.
She, therefore, urged the relevant authorities to take swift and decisive action to address the root causes of this violence and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
Meanwhile, the National Election Response Group (NERG) commended the National Election Security Task Force (NESTF) for their efforts in minimizing post-election violence.
“While there were still incidents of violence, the efforts of the NESTF helped to reduce the scale and severity of the violence,” Mrs. Williams-Anti acknowledged.
The National Election Response Group’s efforts aim to promote peaceful elections and address electoral violence in Ghana.
The group’s recommendations will be released in the coming weeks and will focus on addressing the root causes of electoral violence and promoting peaceful elections in Ghana.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
