Making Election 2016 issue-based

Ghanaians, especially the voter population, are in the mood to vote either to retain the government or remove it from office.

The stakes are quite high and all the political parties are leaving no stone unturned in their bid to remain very relevant in the body politic.

Almost seven months to the polls, it appears the Electoral Commission (EC), the election management body, has issues with some of the political parties and other stakeholders.

The vexed issue of validation or exhibition is yet to be resolved, even though majority of Ghanaians have accepted that the compilation of a new voters register is out of the question.

Again, although the media and political commentators have virtually accepted November 7 as the date for the 2016 polls, the EC has not exhausted the legal processes.

There is no doubt about the date for a presidential election, except that it must be conducted early enough for the transition to January 7, 2017.

When it comes to parliamentary elections, our Constitution is clearly unambiguous about the date when it says that parliamentary elections must be held within 30 days of the dissolution of the next Parliament.

This is the roadblock in the way of the EC because a Constitutional Instrument (CI) cannot cure a constitutional provision, except by an amendment, hence the question: how soon is the EC going to cure this challenge for the polls to be held on November 7?

Whatever the challenges, Election 2016 must come on before the end of the year, as the 1992 Constitution enjoins us to do.

While we are worried over preparations by the EC, we are equally disturbed about the platforms on which all the political parties will focus for Election 2016.

The Daily Graphic expects them to make this year’s campaign issue-based, so that we can stay away from the pedestrian issues of insults, use of intemperate language and violence.

Presently, Ghana is faced with a number of challenges, major among them being corruption, misuse of public funds, high unemployment rate, particularly among graduates, the dual economy where the burden of tax payment is placed on working people, infrastructure deficit, agriculture and manufacturing gaps.

We do not think any of the political parties has the magical wand to resolve the major problems facing the economy, but the people must see signs of hope in the future.

Sometimes the level of hopelessness among the youth and working people does not augur well for the peace and development of our society.

It is our expectation that the political parties that are seeking the mandate of the people will offer platforms that provide clear-cut answers to the concerns and well-being of the electorate.

The Daily Graphic thinks that our politics has come of age and we appeal to the EC to crack the whip on political parties to respect the regulations governing the parties.

The regulations enjoin the political parties to file their audited accounts with the EC every year and also have physical presence in two-thirds of the districts of the country. But they flout them with impunity.

The idea of turning a blind eye to the violations of the political parties law in order to nurture the political parties is not the best way to encourage law and order in our society.

The need for the political parties to respect the regulations is critical, especially so when they seek our mandate to rule and one key driver of good governance is respect for the rule of law.

Example, they say, is better than precept, and since charity begins at home, the political parties must lead the way as law-abiding corporate citizens, so that when they assume power they will not behave like those who say: “Do as I say but not as I do.”

Whatever our challenges, let us make Election 2016 as peaceful as the previous ones and demonstrate to the rest of the world once again that we are the beacon of hope and the bastion of democratic rule on the African continent.