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Pre-election activities peak

This year’s election has captured the attention of Ghanaians and the global community, regardless of whether the crucial polls will come off on November 7, as being planned by the Electoral Commission or on the traditional date of December 7. Even children are showing interest in this national exercise.

As the days draw closer and closer to the seventh parliamentary and presidential elections this year, the stakes are extremely high as to which of the two main parties, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP), will emerge victorious.

Out of the six elections held since the inception of the Fourth Republican dispensation in 1992, the NDC has won the presidential race four times, in 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012 whilst the NPP has won it twice in 2000 and 2004.

The two political traditions have also produced better results in the parliamentary elections and shared between them the large numbers of parliamentarians, leaving most of the other political parties with little or no representation in Parliament.

What makes this year’s elections critical is the NDC touting its nationwide development projects to win the polls for the fifth time while the NPP is highlighting the failures of the NDC government in order to win a convincing third time this year. 

Some have conceived that Ghana is a two-party state. Time will, however, tell as to whether a third force will surprise the two political giants and emerge this time around to decide the fate of Ghanaians.

Pre-election activities

The NDC and the NPP in particular are leaving no stone unturned in the run-up to the elections. Other political parties, including the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC) are also lacing their boots so as to give the two dominant parties a run for their money.

While the flag bearers of the CPP and the PNC were in the northern regions recently, the PPP leadership stormed the Odododiodoo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region on Sunday to begin their nationwide door-to-door, and village-to-village campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Ghanaian electorate.

However, as pre-election activities peak with six months to a major election and the “men” are once again being separated from the “boys,” there is still a worrying trend of suspicion and intolerance. The general campaign messages are devoid of bread and butter issues, while there is no modesty in touting achievements. All these are prevailing across the political spectrum because the issues have been so much politicised.

IEA, NCCE brouhaha

Just last week, there was a needless brouhaha between the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and the NCCE as to which of them had the competence and capacity to organise a presidential debate prior to this year’s elections.

Whilst the IEA boasts of its ability to organise successful presidential debates since 2000, the NCCE maintains that it has watched the political landscape for over 20 years and has the capacity and broad mandate to organise presidential dialogues.

It must be pointed out that civic education and engagement are broad and shared responsibilities which are all aimed at creating a civic minded Ghanaian. In so doing, all stakeholders have a constitutional mandate to deliver on meeting this national objective.

The NCCE must therefore continue to partner, cooperate and work with the IEA so as to achieve the goals of adequately informing the Ghanaian citizenry to make informed decisions and choices

State of political parties

This brings to the fore the state of our political parties in helping the nation to discharge its civic responsibilities. With

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