Leaders must commit to peaceful elections — Cardinal Turkson

The Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican,  Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the two major presidential candidates to commit to a peaceful election in December. 

He said if peace would prevail before, during and after the elections in December, it would depend on the conduct and posturing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Referring to them as the main “protagonists” of the next election, Cardinal Turkson urged the candidates to ensure a peaceful process and transition. 

Forum

Speaking at the IDEG High-Level Forum 2024 on Thursday, October 10, he said the three, all of whom had met with Pope Francis, should draw inspiration from what took them to the Pope and their interactions with him to commit to peace.

It was on the theme, “Advancing Peace, Unity and National Cohesion in Ghana,” and brought together prominent personalities from various sectors of society including the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, the Executive Director of IDEG, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah and Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu.

It was chaired by a Board Member of the National Peace Council, Joana Adzoa Opare. 

Roles

Cardinal Turkson emphasised the important roles of the leaders in the country’s democratic dispensation and called on them to reflect on their visits to the Pope and allow those experiences to shape their thoughts as Ghana approaches the December 7 polls.

He highlighted the Pope’s exceptional qualities, values and virtues, prioritising peace, respect for human dignity, and the well-being of the human person while rejecting conflict and hatred.

“The three protagonists, the three leaders, President Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia and former President Mahama, visited Pope Francis, and they are the ones I am inviting to come away with some of the values and virtues they experienced from their engagements with the Pope.”

“And it is one of peace, it’s one of respect for the dignity of a human person. It is one of not putting any institutional structure over the dignity of any human person but putting the human person first. It is one therefore of cordial relationship and harmony and not one of conflict and hatred.”

“I want to invite the protagonists, our outgoing President Akufo-Addo and the two main presidential candidates to just take a cue, draw some lessons they drew from their visits to Pope Francis and make that influence their conduct.” 

EC

On the role of the Electoral Commission (EC) in the election, he said the EC could remain neutral despite its appointing authority, citing the independent role played by the foremost National Peace Council that was instituted by former President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2006, which remained independent despite its appointing authority.

Cardinal Turkson also touched on the importance of people to have the freedom to choose their leaders as it guaranteed their freedom and dignity.

“Every social institution must serve the human person and not the other way round. So democracy as a system and a form of governance must serve the human person and not the human person reduced to serving democracy,” he stated.

For his part, Dr Akwetey said the authorities must do everything possible to deter violence during elections.

“We haven’t done what we should do to increase our confidence in a peaceful, credible and fair election, and when we look at it all, we have tended to put all the blame or expectation or whatever on the EC. That they will be able to do some kind of thing that will undermine confidence in the register,” he stated.

He said the lack of confidence in the EC was because, “NDC comes, they appoint; NPP comes, they appoint, and that alone creates suspicion that people put in charge cannot be credible enough to do the work professionally”.