PROTECTING INTEGRITY OF DECEMBER POLLS

LAST Thursday, democracy in Ghana was given a further boost with the launch of the Political Parties Code of Conduct for the 2008 elections to provide guidance for all political parties contesting the general election in December.
The code, the second to be launched in the country, establishes enforcement bodies, both at the national and regional levels.
According to the provisions of the code, the regional enforcement bodies will monitor breaches of the code in the various constituencies in the regions and report such breaches to national institutions that have the mandate to investigate and, where necessary, apply the necessary sanctions in the form of reprimands and undertakings from offending parties.
This new development has added another dimension to our quest to ensure that the conduct of elections and electioneering in the country are peaceful and transparent, devoid of rancour, bitterness, mudslinging and acts that are likely to undermine the stability of our dear nation.
We are living witnesses to the upheavals and anarchy that have engulfed some countries in the West African sub-region and other parts of the continent as a result of disputed elections.
In Ghana, we are lucky to have escaped the frightening experience after four successful elections since 1992.
The December 2008 general election, to all intents and purposes, must be conducted in such a way that at the end of the day Ghana will remain the showpiece of the continent and demonstrate to the whole world that our crave for democratic governance has come to stay.
It, therefore, behoves everybody to support the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct free and fair elections. The DAILY GRAPHIC finds it heart-warming that other bodies interested in the growth of democracy, such as the Institute of Economic Affairs, the National Peace Council, the Centre for Democratic Development, the National Commission on Civic Education, among other institutions, are ensuring respect for democratic principles.
We echo the reminder from the EC that it is mandatory for all political parties to refrain from acts that are likely to undermine the authority of the commission and bring the conduct of the December polls into disrepute.
Political parties must act with decorum by not encouraging their members to engage in multiple registration when the voters register is reopened, as well as multiple voting or impersonation at the time of the conduct of polls. These are criminal acts that could take place at the blind side of the EC if the parties do not co-operate with the commission.
It is an undeniable fact that the mandate to conduct free, fair and credible elections in this country lies within the purview of the commission. Nonetheless, the EC may not be able to accomplish this task without the support of all the stakeholders, especially the political parties and their agents.
Now that the code has made explicit provisions on the dos and don’ts for the political parties, as well as the other players in the political game, the onus lies on the parties to enforce the code and make it impossible for their members to undermine the integrity of the polls.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls on all Ghanaians to make a pledge to support the EC to conduct credible polls in December.
For this reason, the rewards and sanctions mechanism or naming and shaming procedure must be applied in the enforcement of the code in order to compel deviants to conform with the norm.
It is our inability to enforce regulations that has emboldened wrongdoers to act with impunity.
The DAILY GRAPHIC commends the IEA and its partners for their support for our democratic dispensation.