Akwatia By-Election: How To Avoid Repeat Of The Ablekuma North Violence
Ewald Garr, a governance analyst, outlines to YEN.com.gh things the state must do to ensure the Akwatia by-election is incident-free
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
Amid the disturbances and pockets of violence that marred the Ablekuma North election rerun on July 11, there were subtle threats made about potential insecurity in the upcoming Akwatia by-election from the main political parties.
The Akwatia by-election, now scheduled for September 2, will be contested by candidates from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after the death of the sitting MP, Ernest Kumi.
Source: Getty Images
Akwatia has been a hotspot of electoral violence in the past, notably during a by-election in August 2009, which spanned less than 10 polling stations.
With the tensions in mind, the Security and Intelligence, Defence and Interior Committees of Parliament assured that the government has outlined robust security measures aimed at curbing electoral violence.
The Interior Ministry also assured that the police have learned from their mistakes during the polls. Minister Muntanka Mohammed-Mubarak called the violence a scar on Ghana's democracy during an address in July.
Ahead of the election, a governance analyst, Ewald Garr, highlighted three key areas the state needed to look out for in its bid to ensure the pledges to ensure peace translated to the smooth conduct of the election.
First and foremost, Garr noted that the government needed to ensure adequate security for the upcoming by-election.
Police conduct during the Ablekuma North election was heavily criticised, with perpetrators of violence bypassing police presence relatively easily.
"I thought the police could have done better. The pockets of violence that we saw, you saw the police around, but people still did their own thing."
The analyst stressed that police needed to be more vigilant and proactive when checking the conduct of potential threats.
Ablekuma North violence saw NPP figures attacked
Most of the victims of violence during the Ablekuma North election are believed to have been NPP members.
Figures like Hawa Koomson, a former MP for Awutu Senya East and Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture; Dakoa Newman, a former MP for Okaikoi South, and Chris Lloyd, Deputy National Organiser of the NPP, were attacked, with the incidents caught on camera.
As an example, Garr noted that police needed to ensure only authorised persons were allowed near polling stations. He reminded that the area Koomson was attacked should not have been that heavily populated.
"If the police had ensured that there was order… that would not have happened. So the police need to take control of the various polling staitons to enure that only authorised people are at certain areas.”
Still on the police council, Garr also noted the need for better accountability from officers of the law. A police officer was indicted for attacking a journalist during the Ablekuma North rererun.
The analyst stressed that the police hierarchy needed to ensure officers were held accountable for whatever missteps they make in the conduct of elections.
"If we want free and fair elections, then the hierarchy of the police must ensure the police show leadership.”
Better leadership needed from the Electoral Commission
Garr further underscored the need for better leadership from the Electoral Commission, which has faced intense scrutiny over its handling of elections.
In his view, the commission has 'not shown thorough leadership'.
Source: Twitter
He noted that the commission is on a tight rope and does not have a margin for error. Transparency will be key to the commission's bid to establish credibility in the eyes of Ghanaians.
"The Electoral Commission is an autonomous institution, and they need to show that by being very credible and also being seen to be credible in the eyes of all actors.”
Role of political parties in peaceful elections
As a final point, Garr said that the partisan actors in the election needed to also keep their members in check.
Parties should also not be above disciplining their members when they try to incite tensions, the analyst added.
He also stated that the parties should also not be seen to be shielding their respective members from the law.
"Where members [of parties] are misbehaving, they should call them out and let them be punished. They should allow the law to take its course."
Source: YEN.com.gh
