Dr Akwetey on conflicts in Africa

THE Executive Director of Institute for Democratic Governance, Dr Emmanuel Akwetey, has stated that the conflicts in Africa during elections could be attributed to the divisions within the people which the politicians focus on during campaigning.
Dr Akwetey said politicians resorted to that strategy to win political power, particularly from people they shared one form of relationship or the other, but that had the potential for negatively dividing the country.
Dr Akwetey said this at a two-day workshop on “Elections in Africa: Lessons from the Ghanaian experience”, organised by the Africa Advisory Board of the Open Society Institute at its bi-annual meeting in Accra.
“We must not encourage this practice in Africa as it has the possibility of developing into tribal and other forms of conflicts in Ghana and other parts of the continent as seen in some African nations,” he said.
Dr Akwetey told the participants drawn from some civil society organisations on the continent that the media played a significant role in the peace and stability that Ghana enjoyed during the 2008 election.
He described the desire of the political parties themselves to ensure peace before, during and after the election as worthy of emulation by other African countries to promote peace during elections in their respective countries.
He stressed that the openness of the Electoral Commission (EC) to the media, civil society organisations, sub-regional and international bodies worked towards the success of the 2008 general election in Ghana.
Dr Akwetey explained that the election went the way it did because of the transparency of the process and the willingness of the relevant stakeholders to respect the outcome of the election.
He stated that as a result of the constructive role played by the media and the EC, members of the general public were adequately informed on the electoral process and the results as they came.
He recommended that, for elections in any country, particularly in Africa, to be successful, there should be constructive collaboration among the relevant actors in the electoral process.
He said an independent EC, the media and all the political parties must work in unity to ensure the success of the elections.
On the way forward for Ghana, Dr Akwetey called for a careful look at transitional management as had been the case in elections management.
Dr Akwetey said it was important that much attention was paid to the management of the transitional process as it had the potential for developing into a different thing if not managed properly.
“What we are witnessing in the country today after a successful election is due to the weak transitional process we have in the country,” he added.