NCCE Warns of Rising Voter Willingness to Engage in Election Violence

The National Commission for Civic Education Chairperson, Kathleen Addy, expressed concern over what she termed "an increasing number of citizens' readiness for violence in elections in Ghana." This disturbing trend came to light after an NCCE report launched recently showed that a section of voters was ready to use violence to defend party interests or in retaliation against alleged electoral malpractice.

Speaking to the media on October 23, Addy said, "Building stronger democratic institutions in Ghana would go a long way towards rebuilding confidence in the electoral process to avert violent eruptions. It portends some sort of danger when people can readily confess to participating in violent conduct in elections." These attitudes threaten peace and stability.

"We have to work together, restore public confidence in the systems governing our elections so that people do not feel driven to violence," Addy said. She called for more active engagement of conflict resolution mechanisms, such as the National Peace Council, to deal with disputes arising from elections.

Addy further urged the public to allow the role of polling agents to proceed without any interference: "We also reminded them that representatives for the political parties already exist in each polling station to ensure that votes are accurately counted, hence citizens need not deeply get involved in any party activities that may escalate tensions at the election grounds.".

As Ghana heads toward future elections, this call by the NCCE is a stern warning that in order to prevent electoral violence and ensure democratic integrity in the country, collective responsibility will be needed. It would be necessary for citizens, political parties, and government institutions to ensure peaceful elections reflecting the will of the people.