Rawlings predicts tough 2016 polls 

Former President Jerry Rawlings has admonished the Electoral Commission, political parties and all social groupings to do all in their power to ensure the country has credible polls next year.

He says the present heightened tension in the country over the electoral register and entire process, forebodes a challenging Election 2016, and everything that needs to be done to win confidence, cast away doubts and ensure results are acceptable by all, should not be spared.

President Rawlings gave the admonishing when the leadership of the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA) called on him at his Ridge offices to ask him to intervene to ensure Ghana has a credible voters register going into the polls next year.

Premonition

Speaking in a rather pensive mood, the former president who recalled the periods leading to the 2008 and 2012 elections said he had smelled the prevailing atmosphere of heightened tension before, and that it can only point to a difficult poll.

“This is an atmosphere I’ve smelled before… I get the feeling 2016 is going to be another challenging electoral process. There is a lot of stress in the air, so it will be a test of all of us,” he said.

President Rawlings said in order to minimize the stressfulness going into 2016, everything possible must be done to ensure a very credible electoral process, including getting a credible voters register and a peaceful electoral climate.

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Too much to lose

While commending the leadership of LMVCA for “keeping demonstrations alive” as a civil tool for registering grievances, President Rawlings asked them to endeavor to “keep it as peaceful as possible.”

He said there is too much to lose if things fall apart and asked the LMVCA leaders and all others to speak to their supporters to exercise some patience and give the Electoral Commission the space to do what is right, adding that “It’s important and I’m sure it will be done.”

Stressing the need to uphold the peace, the former president said “Let’s do what we can, let’s not provoke a climate of stress, let’s not joke with it. Let’s do what we can to hold it tight” and avoid a spill over. 

NDC must not fear

“I’ve always said that it’s an unfortunate thing to abuse the sanctity of the right of choice and the only way we can contain, we can prevent things from getting out of hand is to ensure that the electoral process and that register are as credible as possible. As a sitting government I think if we feel pretty confident about that register, we should have no fears about doing what needs to be done to win confidence, to take away doubts,” President Rawlings reiterated.

“I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that there is stress in the air, there is a lot of nervousness and 2016 might turn out to be a very challenging task for us and I think we can minimize the stress by ensuring the credibility of the register and the whole process… because I think the results will be acceptable if people feel that there is no flawed situation if we make this electoral process as free and fair, as clean as possible.”

LMVCA leaders

Among the leadership of the LMVCA at the meeting were David Asante, George Andah, Ibrahim Adjei, Abu Ramadan, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and Richard Nyamah.

David Asante briefed the former President and his team, which included former diplomat Victor Gbeho, former Defence Minister Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, and Lionel Mobila, all members of the Council of Elders of the ruling National Democratic Congress, on the activities of the group and explained the basis for their call for a new voters’ register.

He said the group believed that sustaining democracy in Ghana had a lot to do with credible elections which must necessarily result from credible processes.

“Your Excellency, with the greatest of respect, we know and admit you are one illustrious son of this land whose influence on this society and beyond can never be overlooked. In that light we decided to pay a courtesy call on you as a group. Quite apart from our activity in calling for a new voters register, we believe it’s expedient to seek your blessing in our daily activity which principally revolve around the consolidation of our democracy which you fought for, which we are privilege to enjoy.”

Ibrahim Adjei observed that it was significant that four of the six major political parties were united in calling for a new register and the essence, he said, was to ensure that whoever emerged winner of the polls was acceptable by all.

George Andah said their whole effort was about putting Ghana first, and they were motivated by some of the virtues the former president had sought to inculcate in Ghanaians – of discipline, of calling right, right and calling wrong, wrong – in order that the gains will not be lost and the nation retrogresses into the era when one was not free to do what is right.