Arrest, prosecute perpetrators of post-election violence - CFI, IDEG to AG, Police

The Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) and the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG) have called for the arrest and prosecution of perpetrators of the post-election violence recorded across the country to serve as a deterrent to others.

The two civil society organisations (CSOs) said acts of violence such as organised hooliganism, raids, arson of state property and other disruptive acts by party loyalists have marred the election transition phase.

It also expressed concern over the unresolved collation and declaration of parliamentary results in the Ablekuma North Constituency which recently led to the destruction of property by some political party supporters at the Greater Accra Regional office of the Electoral Commission (EC) that served as the collation centre for the constituency.

Measures

A statement jointly signed by the Chairperson of the CFI, Dr Angela Dwamena Aboagye, and the Head of Advocacy and Institutional Relations, IDEG, Kwesi Jonah, said those acts of lawlessness, if left unaddressed, could pose serious risks to the nation's political stability and security in the future.

The two CSOs said as part of measures to halt the situation, they have called on the law enforcement agencies, particularly the Attorney General's Department and the Ghana Police Service, to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and due process was followed through to its conclusive end to serve as a deterrent for potential future offenders.

It further called on political parties to cooperate with the EC to ensure that the tensions and delays associated with collation do not re-occur in future elections.

It also appealed to stakeholders including political party leaders, CSOs, the media, traditional and religious leaders to educate the citizenry on the transitional arrangements to ensure peaceful conduct in the post-election period.

“These targeted interventions will ensure that there are peaceful transitional processes in future elections,” the statement said.

“IDEG-CFI will commit to collaborating with other stakeholders such as the political parties and CSOs to deepen dialogue, enhance civic education and secure transformational reforms for national unity and stability,” the statement said.