The newspaper review for today begins with calls for maintenance of peace. The New Statesman's story on Women's group advocates peace says the Young Women for Peace has called on all well-meaning Ghanaians to promote and safeguard the significant progress the nation has made in her democratic electoral processes. In a May Day message signed by Abena Takyiwa Oppong and Affi Agbenyo, both members of the group condemned the various acts of violence that have been associated with the ongoing Biometric Voters' Registration exercise.
Similarly Adwoa Safo urges Ghanaians to preserve the peace we're enjoying. As the curtains on the biometric registration exercise draw closer, the aspiring parliamentary candidate for the Dome – Kwabenya constituency, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has urged her constituents, especially, followers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who have not registered yet, to go out and register in order to exercise their franchise in the December polls. The Chronicle adds that while doing that, she called on all the various political parties and interest groups in the constituency to do their utmost best to preserve the peace the area was enjoying, and desist from any acts that may mar the electoral process.
Still on the call for peaceful elections, we are told by The New Crusading Guide that CENFAD-Ghana Initiates measures for peaceful elections in Upper East. The Center for Alternative Development (CENGAD-Ghana), a non-governmental organization has initiated some measures to ensure peaceful and transparent elections in the Upper East Region. The NGO, which seeks to promote good governance, is working with sponsorship from STAR-Ghana, another NGO, to collaborate with stakeholders in the region and help achieve the objectives of the program.
The Ghanaian Times reports that 2 NGOs in peace march ahead of polls. The Centre for Community Studies Action and Development (CENCOSAD) Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), both non-governmental organizations last Saturday organized a peace march in Accra ahead of the December elections. The event aimed at engaging the youth positively to avoid violence and intolerance during Election 2012, was organized under the theme: 'Promoting health rights and accountability in a peaceful and fair 2012 elections''.
still in the Ghanaian Times, Mr. Lord Larbi, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has asked Inter-Party Dialogue Committees (IPDC's) to work hard to promote the culture of tolerance in the country. He warned that without tolerance and consensus-building among key political actors, the electoral process could suffer setbacks. The paper reports this under the headline Intensify education on political tolerance.
In an effort to reduce violence ahead of the December general elections, Veep cautions Muslims against election-related violence. Vice President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to Muslims to team up with other religious bodies to educate the youth against engaging in election-related violence that could mar Ghana's democratic dispensation. According to both The Heritage and the Ghanaian Times, he said Islam and the Prophet Muhammed stood for peace and the engagement of Muslims in any such violence could undermine the ethics of peace of the religion and derail the faith of believers all over the world.
The Ghanaian Observer also reports that The Deputy Ministry for Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC), Hajia Hawawu Boya Gariba is cautioning politicians to reconsider any attempt to either use or draw women and children into politics of violence. Under the banner Leave Woman, Children out of Politics of Violence, the Deputy Minister said because of the vulnerability of women and children, government is taking the necessary steps to ensure politicians do not abuse the two categories of people as the December general election approach.
Still from the Daily Guide, we are informed that the NDC Cries Over Registration Violence. Despite Wide media reports that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is behind the series of violence that has characterized the registration exercise in Kumasi, the ruling Party has responded swiftly, insisting it is innocent. The NDC alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the region was behind all the troubles that had so far marred the national exercise, stressing that claims that the NDC was a violent Party were false.
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has described the setting up of a National Enforcement Body to monitor adherence to the code of Conduct for political parties as a positive development for Ghana's already enviable democratic credentials. The Daily Graphic reports this with the heading EIU lauds creation of National Enforcement Body, adding that the EIU is hopeful that with the creation of the body, which has representatives from all sides to monitor and investigate abuses, it could go some way to ensure that the code was followed.
Five political parties have urged media owners, particularly the radio stations, to ensure quality control over the content of their programmes at all times and desist from granting undisciplined politicians the platform to attack opponents. The parties - the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the Independent People's Party (IPP), the People's National Convention (PNC), the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the Progressive People's Party (PPP) - therefore called on the media to stop giving prominence to issues that mounted up tension and contributed nothing to the peace and security of the country. the Daily Graphic reports
Away from the media, we take a look at other political party activities as Akufo-Addo Swipes at NDC. The flag-bearer of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo, has appealed to Ghanaians to refrain from every act that will derail the peace Ghana is enjoying ahead of the December elections. In the same report the Ghanaian Observer states that Nana Akufo-Addo in his May Day message to Ghanaian workers said the upcoming elections should be seen as "competition of ideas and solutions to the problems facing our people.
The Daily Graphic on the other hand reports that the National Democratic Congress Volta Caucus in the Ashanti Region has expressed shock at the comments by the Member of Parliament for Assin North Constituency, Kennedy Agyapong, declaring war on all Ewes in the Ashanti Region. NDC Volta caucus expresses shock is the paper's caption in adding that the MP declared war earlier this month inciting Akans against Ewes and Gas, who he believed might have master-minded attacks on some Akans in the ongoing biometric voters registration exercise, particularly in the Odododiodoo Constituency where Ursula Owusu, an Akan was attacked and several Akans in the Constituency were prevented from registering by Gas.
Finally in today's review, the Ghanaian Times informs readers that Government will not sell economy for December elections-Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and he explains that Government has no intention to sell the economy and spend frivolously because of elections. He added that expenditure would be firmly controlled to ensure that the government avoided reckless spending in the run-up to the general elections in December.
This daily news review is compiled by African Elections Project (AEP) Media Monitoring Centre, Accra, Ghana.
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