Friday, February 29, 2008

Ghana :Countdown to 2004 Elections Compilation of all the results of the 1996 & 200 Presidential & Parliamentary Elections with Analsyis

This book, we believe, will be a must-read for all Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians.For those interested in elections, this is perhaps, the only book where all the 1996 and 2000 Presidential/Parliamentary, allied data and analysis are placed, handily.

We do not make any predictions as to the outcome of the 2004 elections but all our reader have enough information to enable them arrive at their conclusions. Please bear in mind that as at the time we went to press, in July,2003,Ghanaians were about 17)seventeen) months away fro the December 2004 elections. We have the list of over 8,000 towns which make up the 200 constituencies.

For those who are not interested in Ghanaian elections, there write-ups, with maps on all the 10 administrative regions and110 districts. These write-ups touch on demographic and economic characteristics. These are two different Cost ofLiving Surveys, one by the state agency and the other by civic society.


THE AUTHOR

Emmanuel Benjamin Ephson was born in 1957 in the Ghanaian capital,Accra.He had his secondary educaton at Accra Academy and obtained a law degree,LL.B(Hons) from University of Ghana,Legon, in 1981.He started his professional career as a journalist in1974 and to date has worked for the London-based African magazine(1974-1984);West African magazine(1982-1996) and as Correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 1986 and 1996. He has since 1996, been the Ghanaian Correspondent for the Agence France Presse (AFP). Since 1988, he has been the editor of an independent daily newspaper, The Daily Dispatch. He also hosted a radio talk-show, Ephson’s File.

Among some of his honours are the U.S. based National Association of Black Journalist(NABJ) award for ‘Human Rights and Excellence; a Ghana Journalists Association(GJA) award for Commitment and Dedication’ and a five-month Ford Foundation Fellowship at the University of Maryland, College Park (US). He has also been a guest of the American, British, Canadian and French governments, visiting professional institutions.

He is also the Director of a human rights non-governmental organization(NGO),GHANALERT,which has fro the past nine years been involved in monitoring elections in Ghana and other West African countries. GHANALERT has also been involved in research and opinon/election polling.

ISBN 9988 0 1641 7

Prof. Mills to visit Eastern Region

Professor Evans John Atta-Mills, presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is to pay a one-day working visit to the Eastern Region on Tuesday, March 04. This would be Prof. Mills' first visit outside Accra since he returned from South Africa, where he underwent medical check. This was disclosed by the Eastern Regional Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Debrah, at a press briefing in Koforidua on Thursday. The NDC Eastern Regional Chairman said Prof Mills was expected to use the occasion to thank sympathizers of the party and Ghanaians who prayed for his well-being.

Mr Debrah said Prof. Mill's visit would concentrate mainly in the Krobo area of the region, where he would pay courtesy calls on traditional rulers in there.

The NDC Eastern Regional Chairman said the visit, which is the first phase of Prof. Mill's tour of the region was also to enable sympathizers of the party and "Ghanaians in Eastern Region to interact and meet with their next president."
Source: GNA

Nana Akufo Addo storms Kumasi

Teaming crowds of people thronged the Prempeh Assebmly Hall in Kumasi to catch a glimpse of the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo Addo.

He was to address his first rally in the Ashanti Regional capital since becoming leader of the party in December 2007.

The rally was to shore up support for him in his presidential bid.

Nana Addo, speaking to the enthusiastic crowd at the Prempeh Assebmly Hall said the elections were held today, Thursday, February 28, 2008, he would have won by a huge margin.

He advised the party supporters clad in party colours to verify their names in the voter register to enable them exercise their franchise come December 2008.

He was accompanied by former Ministers who contested the flag bearership of the party but lost to him.

The move is believed to be an attempt to demonstrate that the NPP was united after a congress that many believed would break it.

The defeated presidential hopefuls made brief statements at the rally.

Former Tourism Minister, Mr Jake Obetsebe Lamptey told Luv FM’s Sampson Laadi Ayinene that all supporters of the NPP were solidly behind Nana Addo.

Responding to suggestions that the NPP was not confident of winning the elections, he said the party did not want to take chances.

Earlier Nana Addo and his entourage called on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

The Otunfuo reminded the NPP presidential candidate that Ghanaians had huge expectation from the next president.

He advised Nana Addo to avoid being over complacent.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu also cautioned him against counting on President
Kufuor’s goodwill, adding that although Former President Rawlings had a lot of goodwill, the flag bearer of the NDC could not use it to win the 2000 elections.

After the rally, Nana Addo drove through some of the principal streets of Kumasi, acknowledging cheers from ecstatic crowds.

GBC snubbed Independent Presidential Candidate

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) has refused the inclusion of Independent Presidential Candidate Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah in its planned programme for activities.

At a meeting to deliberate on GBC's programme line up with all representatives of political groupings, a representative of the Independent Presidential Candidate, Rowland Kofi Armah was denied participation and told to only observe proceedings.

The objective of the programme as put up by GBC's Political Broadcast Monitoring and Complaints Committee is to inform the electorate on the policies and views of the political parties and presidential candidates contesting in election 2008 and also give the electorate an opportunity to listen, discuss and better understand the policies and agenda of the various political parties.

In an earlier interaction with Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah when he paid a working visit to GBC, the Director of Radio Yaw Owusu Addo assured him of equal and fair access to all political programmes that GBC hoped to undertake with respect to this year's elections.

"We will offer equal opportunity and fair access to all political opinions in our planned programme. You can therefore send a representative to take part of the deliberations as an independent presidential candidate", stated Yaw Owusu Addo, Director of Radio at GBC.

Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah disclosed to GBC that a letter received from the Electoral Commission indicated that no persons either representing a political party or acting independently are accorded any privileges as a Presidential candidate until nominations are opened to all persons wishing to contest the 2008 Presidential Elections.

It therefore technically implies that EC does not regard any person as Presidential Candidate until the opportunity is granted to all those who wish to offer themselves for the office had gone through the process of filing the necessary papers with the Commission.

Prior to the visit, an official from the State broadcaster, GBC called to find out from the office of Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah whether he had already been acknowledged by the EC before any arrangement could be made for coverage with respect to the working visit.

The visit though successful was not shown on the GBC's network already setting the pace for unfairness.

Source : Campaign Spokesperson for Kwesi Amoafo-Yeboah Frank Agyemang

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Osafo-Maafo bows out of politics?

Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akyem Oda, has decided not to seek re-election during the 2008 general election. The Akyem Oda MP, who has served three terms representing his constituency, explained that he took the decision to step down in view of the heavy load of work that awaited him in the national campaign of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to retain power.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Mr Osafo-Maafo, who held two ministerial portfolios in this government, predicted that this year’s elections would be hot for the main reason that at the end of the year, the NPP would have been in government for two terms, just like the National Democratic Congress (NDC), adding, “The forthcoming elections are, therefore, like a champion of champions contest.”

“We need a lot of hands at the centre to assist the party and the flag bearer to retain power and thus hand over to the NPP, which no other party had done before,” he added.

He said with a rejuvenated Convention People’s Party (CPP), it was important for the NPP to win ‘one touch’ in order to avoid a second round ballot and indicated, “I need to play a key role for my party in the whole process.”

Asked if he was not quitting politics in his constituency because his backyard was boiling, he said: “Far from it. We’re interested in total victory for the NPP during the general election in December and I’m ready to support any credible candidate who comes up for the Akyem Oda seat.”

The engineer-turned-financial mogul, who has represented his people since 1997, was the Finance Minister from 2001 to 2004 and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports from 2005 to 2006. As Finance Minister, Mr Osafo Maafo administered the Highly Poor Indebted Countries (HIPC) process from decision point to completion point.

In 2004, the MP for Akyem Oda qualified Ghana for the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). He was also adjudged the best Finance Minister in Africa in 2002 and the second best in the whole world.

In 2005, Mr Osafo Maafo, then Minister of Sports, supervised the processes that enabled the Black Stars to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2006, the first time in the history of the country. He also introduced the Capitation Grant to enable children to go to school at the basic level without paying fees.

Before entering politics, he was the Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB) and the now defunct Bank for Housing and Construction (BHC).

Source:
Daily Graphic

CPP Can Recover 42 Lost Years

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Ghanaians, on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the overthrow of the CPP government the Convention People’s Party (United Kingdom and Ireland) joins Ghanaians the world over in solemn remembrance.

42 years after that treason, it is no accident that our beloved country has moved from one government to another, none showing the kind of vision and purposeful but benign authority an underdeveloped country like ours needs. From a country rich with ambition, energy and resources for long term development, Ghana has since the CPP been reduced to an absurd economic theatre where she gropes from one externally-imposed policy to another without a coherently thought-out destination in sight. The collapse of vision and of principled leadership has been total.

The CPP Government blazed a trail of African and Black emancipation and had persevered in determined struggle to assert our collective dignity and chart a new destiny for all Ghanaians.

As fathers, mothers, elders, professionals, farmers, intellectuals, businesspeople , workers in general and citizens of Ghana, we have all benefited directly or indirectly from the CPP’s vision and legacy. Ghanaians campaigned for “positive change” in 2000 and rejected the NDC governments economic programme and direction, which had inflicted so much hardship on our nation, showing their disdain also for NDC corruption. The NPP had unfortunately followed the same path inflicting even greater hardship on Ghanaians – the price of basic food such as Kenkey as risen by a1000%, with petroleum prices rising by nearly 700%, affecting transportation costs as well as utility prices. This is causing much distress and further impoverishing ordinary people in our country.

The NPP’s capricious cronyism and arrogant corruption has continued to devalue the development effort and aspirations of all of us. It is our hope and prayer that we shall all resolve to repay the debt to our beloved country so that she might recapture the status and reputation she rightly enjoyed in decades past under CPP government, which made her the lodestar of Africa

As Ghana prepares for elections at the end of this year we ask fellow Ghanaians to use this occasion to take careful stock of the national situation. For the first time since 1966 there is a real opportunity for a breakthrough in installing a CPP government once again, an opportunity to get a truly people centred government , offering more efficient government with less ministers, a boost to the public sector as well as Ghanaian businesses, an opportunity to review our institutions and make the strategic decisions necessary for transforming our society into one fit for all its people and not just a privileged few.

Let us all summon courage not just for the sake of today’s youth but also for future generations and make a date with CHANGE and FRESH LEADERSHIP now.

Long Live Ghana

Communications Directorate – www.cppuk.org info@cppuk.org cppyouth@gmail.com

Source:
Communications Directorate – www.cppuk.org

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Allow EC To Declare Election Results – NCCE

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) yesterday urged the various political parties contesting Election 2008 not to torpedo the mandate of the Electoral Commission (EC) in declaring electoral results.

"The Electoral laws mandate only the EC Chairman to declare the results of a Presidential election not even any of his deputies can make that declaration unless the man drops dead on the day of declaration.

"No political party, or any individual or group of persons have the mandate to declare or proclaim the result...because such an act constitute a recipe for electoral dispute and disaster and must be discouraged," Mr Laary Bimi NCCE Chairman stated at press conference in Accra.

The conference dubbed; "The Need for a Peaceful Election in Ghana 2008," focused on the role of stakeholders including President John Agyekum Kufuor, the media, EC, NCCE, political parties, religious bodies, traditional rulers and the Judiciary.

Responding to questions from newsmen, Mr Bimi flanked by other officials of the Commission including, Mrs Augustina Akusua Akumanyin, Deputy Chairperson in Charge of Operations; Mr Baron Amoafo, Deputy Chairman in charge of Finance and Administration and Mr Kwame Opoku-Afriyie, a member of the Commission pleaded with politicians to resist the temptation of declaring their own collated presidential results.

Mr Bimi explained that Ghana stood at a threshold of making electoral history and setting the pace for democratic development in Africa, therefore all political parties and politicians must ensure that; "we move forward and not create conditions for disputing the results of the general elections."

"Imagine a situation where two or more political parties declare their own results...this certainly would lead to electoral confusion," the NCCE chairman stated.
He also called on the Government to provide all flagbearers equal security protection - body guards at the expense of the state. The candidates so far elected are; Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Edward Mahama of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention People's Party (CPP) and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr Bimi however, advised that the provision of security should be done in consultation with the flagbearers and the various political parties to ensure that the individuals involved have confidence in the bodyguards.

Mr Bimi also cautioned politicians to desist from making promises to traditional authorities and wading into chieftaincy conflicts.
Mrs Akumanyin said the notion that winning Election 2008 was a matter of life and death should be debunked.

Source: GNA

Ghana’s Conundrum: Obviating Electoral Fraud in the 2008 Presidential Election

Our dear nation, Ghana, will be choosing a new president toward the end of 2008, and while such a scenario is a tribute to the maturity of Ghanaians in overcoming the acerbic atmosphere, oddities and blatant inter-party hostilities that were associated with each of the four preceding presidential elections, dating back to 1992, the simple notion that Ghanaians will be conducting their fifth consecutive presidential election portends a great future for the nation, a truly avant-garde phenomenon. But patting ourselves on the back too soon could distract us from the monumental task ahead in November 2008, when several parties will, once again, test their mettle within the general populace to see which party produces the man with the mandate to lead the nation from 2009 to 2013.

That past elections won by Jerry Rawlings (1992 and 1996) and John Kufuor (2000 and 2004) were replete with accusations of electoral malpractices is a known fact to many Ghanaians old enough to have actually participated in one or all of those four presidential elections. It truly had taken the magnanimity and selflessness of the losers in those elections to declare that, with or without perceived electoral fraud, they would not make any utterances, or perform any actions, that would disturb the prevailing peace in the nation. While defeat in any election, particularly a presidential one, may be hard to swallow, the losing aspirant(s) must honor their fellow citizens by doing what is right: congratulating the winner and putting to rest any possibility of trouble and armed conflict within the nation’s borders. These are salient lessons for modern Ghanaian politicians, even as the 2008 presidential election approaches.

There is something dignifying about the Ghanaian spirit, an inexplicable propensity for tranquility that makes mockery of the parsimoniousness and lawlessness pervasive in some neighboring countries. If Ghanaians are innately fearful of armed conflict and death, as some argue, then that is really a good thing, for this primordial disposition, if there really is one, has helped in the preservation of our society, even while other nations around us have not been so fortunate. The tenacity and forbearance of the Ghanaian should not be taken for granted, however, for there is a limit to everything, as the saying goes. In today’s politically charged atmosphere ― Ghanaian citizens are becoming more adept at the democratic process ― the notion of bona fide, or implied, threats by any person or group to rig the 2008 presidential election could cost the nation precious lives and millions of dollars in damaged property, not to mention the untold hardships that many citizens would be forced to endure. Who could have imagined that Kenya will be in flames at the present time?

One of the dangers inherent in any fledgling multiparty system of governance is the temptation of the government in power to rig a succeeding election ― to either extend the presidency of the incumbent, in conformity with the nation’s constitution, or hand over power to a member of the same party, in an attempt to prolong the status quo. Such an inducement, if not restrained, can have catastrophic consequences, resulting in violence, the intimidation of voters, the harassment of members of the opposition, and tyranny, among others. It is the prayer of Ghanaians that no presidential aspirant would consider the ascent to the presidency a birthright, but rather a privilege. If all the 2008 presidential aspirants truly love Ghana, none of them would risk the nation’s welfare and security via his utterances and actions during and after the election. Peace-loving Ghanaians are already calling on politicians on the ballot to start toning down their rhetoric, as a few recent utterances from apparatchiks of the NPP, CPP and NDC, and even some of the aspirants themselves, can only be termed as callous, disingenuous and downright perfidious!

In the event of a conflagration, even those occupying the top echelons of power will suffer some individual losses, so no one should trivialize the gravity of what Ghanaians face in the upcoming election. In multiethnic societies ― most African societies are, indeed, very diverse ― a careful political intercourse among various participants is necessary to forestall obvious bias and preferential treatment in all facets of government life. Moreover, no tribe, or ethnic group, must see itself as a repository of political power, for promoting such a mindset is the quickest way to divide the nation along ethnic lines.

While foreign groups, mainly from donor countries, have had the privilege of observing and monitoring Ghana’s previous four presidential elections in the modern era, Ghanaians do not necessarily need such groups, in order to conduct a free and fair election this year. With an Electoral Commission that has been in place for close to two decades, the finer elements necessary for holding a peaceful and transparent election should have been mastered by now. While I do not advocate the denial of visas to members of any foreign group interested in monitoring this pivotal election, I pray that the presence of any such group will be no more than a mere formality: it should simply confirm what Ghanaians would have done on their own: the holding of a free and fair presidential election. After all, turning away foreign observers would only create the impression that the government in office intends to rig the election. Moreover, post-election statements from these observers are crucial for any future procurement of needed funds from donor countries and Western powers to help our fledgling economy. I wish to also suggest that if a foreign group decides to observe and monitor the general election, it must come with a large number of observers for deployment to as many polling stations as possible.

Perhaps, the most important step the Electoral Commission and the various political parties need to take in tandem is ensuring that the registration of voters is without flaw: double registrations and inflated registers, if any, should be exposed and corrected before the general election is held. Additionally, any party official caught attempting to inflate voter registers should be arrested and debarred from all polling stations until after the election. Getting party members to register before the required registration deadlines is essential for a good turnout for each party, as was recently espoused by Jerry Rawlings of the NDC, which, for all intents and purposes, is a message for all Ghanaians of voting age and different political persuasions. As such, great efforts ought to be exerted at this time by the various political parties to register potential voters. And once voter registrations are concluded nationwide, each political party’s total register figures should become public knowledge ― this process will eliminate the padding of voter registers in the future.

To further buttress the openness of the election, all political parties must make sure the Electoral Commission grants the parties’ representatives full access to vote-counting at all polling stations, more so in the strongholds of adversaries. The absence of this kind of transparency had in the past provided political parties the ammunition to question the integrity of an election. And once votes from each polling station are counted and each party’s representative becomes a signatory to the declared results, the information must be transmitted instantaneously to the Electoral Commission’s headquarters in Accra for further collation. If full transparency is allowed at each polling station, no person, or political party, will have cause to question the reliability of the electoral process. Foreign observers must act in an exemplary manner by taking a neutral position at all times; they should be quick to report to the Electoral Commission for full investigation any reports of voter intimidation or vote-rigging.

Finally, for obvious reasons, Ghanaians should accept the results of the 2008 presidential election in good faith, once the Electoral Commission declares the final tally, so long as the necessary steps are put in place now to avoid malfeasance during the actual voting process in November 2008. We must all remember that Ghana is bigger than any individual or political party, which means that maintaining security in the country after the 2008 presidential election should be the paramount goal of the winning and losing candidates alike. Any breakdown in law and order will lead to very serious repercussions, and all Ghanaians know that the nation simply does not have the money or resources to restore order in a short time. In the event of trouble, everyone’s life ― the rich and powerful will not be exempt ― will be disrupted, so there will obviously be no winners, just losers. I hope and pray that all Ghanaians will remain civil and vigilant during the entire election, to prevent any person, or group of persons, from destroying the relative peace the nation has enjoyed since independence.

The writer, Daniel K. Pryce, in addition to two undergraduate degrees, holds a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University, U.S.A. He is a member of the national honor society for public affairs and administration in the U.S.A. He can be reached at dpryce@cox.net.
http://www.modernghana.com/GhanaHome/NewsArchive/news_details.asp?menu_id=1&id=VFZSVk1FMTZVVEE9

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

NDC opens nominations at constituencies

The National Democratic Congress, NDC on Monday said it had approved the opening of nominations at all constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) starting from 18th February, 2008.

A statement signed by Baba Jamal, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC said the decision was taken by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party at a meeting on February 7, 2008.

The statement called on any member interested in contesting on the ticket of the party to contact their respective constituency office for their nomination forms.

"The final date of submission of the forms is Friday, 7th March 2008," the statement added.

GNA

Monday, February 11, 2008

Ghana Elections 2008 falls on Sunday 7 December 2008

Ghana's presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on Sunday 7th December according to the Electoral Commission

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Short history of elections in Ghana

Formed from the merger of the British colony of the Gold Coast and the Togoland trust territory, Ghana in 1957 became the first sub-Saharan country in colonial Africa to gain its independence under the leadership of Dr Kwame Nkurmah . Its democratic process was several times disrupted by high number of coups . In 1981, Lt. Jerry Rawlings took over power and banned political parties. Ironically Rawlings restores the country to multiparty politics in 1992 with a new constitution. He went on to win 1992 and 1996 elections under that NDC party but as per the constitution he could not run for a third term in year 2000. The leader of the then opposition NPP party John Kuffuor won year 2000 and 2004 elections. As per the constitution, John Kuffor can not stand for elections again in year 2008.
Apart from the national elections for the post of head of state and president, there is going to be legislative elections to elect 230 members of parliament.
The year 2008 election is going exciting, interesting and closely fought one.

welcome to GHANA ELECTIONS 2008


welcome to Ghana elections 2008 blog space
enjoy your visit