Prosecute 2020 election killing perpetrators — Emile Short

The perpetrators of killings that occurred during the 2020 elections should be prosecuted to ensure peace in the 2024 general election, a former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emile Francis Short, has stated.

Mr Short, who said this in Accra yesterday, explained that the accountability of the perpetrators before the 2024 election would assure the electorate that such incidents would not be repeated during the December 7 polls.

He said it would also serve as an assurance to the electorate not to resort to violence when confronted by opponents.

“Unresolved past electoral issues have the potential of affecting the credibility and peace of the 2024 general election. It has the potential to decrease the trust level of an adjusted delivery system in the country.

“It is among the two reasons why the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is refusing to sign a peace pact because they are sceptical about the effectiveness of past peace pacts.

They believe that as a country, the 2020 peace pact did not achieve its intended outcomes,” he pointed out.

He, therefore, called for the implementation of the recommendations from the investigations of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.

Mr Short said this at a dialogue series organised by the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) on the theme: “Towards democratic consolidation: strengthening inclusion, transparency, and credibility in the 2024 Ghana election”.

Unresolved past electoral issues

He mentioned unresolved past electoral issues as one of the challenges that could threaten credible and peaceful elections in 2024. Other issues were the misunderstanding between the NDC and the Electoral Commission (EC) on the voter register, the rise of misinformation and disinformation in the country, and vote buying.

On misinformation and disinformation in the country, he explained that reports had shockingly revealed that political parties were spending more on social media to inform, mislead, misinterpret or disseminate information to the public.

Quoting a report done in 2019 by the University of Exeter, he said, political parties in the country had invested heavily in social media by recruiting young people to actively promote their parties and attack opponents on social media.

For instance, he said, the NPP used a coordinated and focused social media campaign strategy in the 2016 general election, adding that according to the study, it had continued to use that structure.

He said misinformation and disinformation were also likely to be used to undermine political parties’ candidates and policies.

Describing vote buying as a criminal offence that posed a threat to Ghana’s electoral integrity, he explained that citizens were enticed to vote for political parties through monetary and other material incentives and the most tragic aspect was that, the act was carried out publicly yet no one was prosecuted.

On the NDC’s mistrust of the EC, he expressed appreciation for the fact that the party had been able to reach a consensus, pointing out that getting political parties to address their concerns was an important dispute-resolution method that should be encouraged.

Suggesting solutions to the challenges, Mr Short, who was the first Commissioner of CHRAJ, encouraged the EC to increase the trust level citizens had in the institution by being transparent, deepening their commitment and ensuring free and fair elections.

“I encourage political parties to allow the justice system to deal decisively with offenders, especially when members from their own parties are involved. This will boost the confidence the electorate have in the justice delivery institutions, and their actions will also serve as a deterrent to political offenders,” he said.

Engage stakeholders

On the National Peace Council (NPC), Mr Short said the council must engage stakeholders to prevent the tragedies that occurred in the 2020 general election, explaining that that would convince the people that they did not have to take matters into their own hands.

He also called for public education by the mandated bodies and civil society organisations (CSOs) on the implications of vote buying.

The Executive Director of WACSI, Dr Nana Asantewaa Afadzinu, described this year’s elections, which would be the country’s ninth general election and fifth presidential transition, as the most pivotal in the nation’s democratic history.

She said it would be a milestone that would underscore the country’s progress towards democratic maturity, adding that ”we need to succeed in order to give hope that democracy could thrive and make a difference in people’s lives.”

The Co-Chair of CODEO, Elizabeth Joyce Villars, called on stakeholders to prioritise the core principles of inclusion, transparency, and credibility to safeguard the integrity of our electoral process.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Charles Abani, said it was important that Ghana, which was within a region of turbulence and difficulty, maintained and consolidated its democratic journey during this year’s election.

There was also a panel discussion on assessing the country’s preparedness for transparent and credible elections.