The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) as part of its effort to boost citizen participation in the upcoming referendum and district level elections on December 17 has launched an electoral support project.

Speaking at the launch of the project in Accra Today November 5, 2019, the Acting Chairperson of CODEO, Sheik Armiyawo Shaibu, said the launch of the project falls in line with the objectives of electoral transparency, credible electoral outcomes and participatory electoral processes that CODEO seeks to achieve.

He announced that the project will be made of two major interventions to support the December 17, 2019 district level elections and national referendum.

“As in previous district level elections, CODEO will undertake civic voter peace education activities with the aim of boosting citizens informed and peaceful participation in the upcoming electoral processes and to promote public trust in electoral outcomes through enhanced election transparency”.

He added that CODEO will through civic education activities enhance citizens awareness, understanding and participation in the December 17 district elections and referendum.

Whiles acknowledging the limited public awareness about the elections, Mr Armiyawo said CODEO hopes to contribute to enhancing citizens understanding and participation on the elections through a variety of mediums, including media campaigns and community level civic voter engagements.

He revealed that CODEO will be engaging a total of 260 civic voter peace educators, with each person drawn from a district to engage community level engagements with citizens to explain the essence of the upcoming elections.

In exactly six weeks, Ghanaians will be going to the polls to elect assembly members and unit committee members to support the activities of the district assemblies. In addition, the election includes a national referendum exercise which seeks to amend Article 55.3 of the 1992 constitution, which is an entrenched clause.

Should the referendum meet the required percentage of yes votes, it will allow the active participation of political parties in local level elections.

With voter turnout in the country’s local level elections around 40%, CODEO a non-partisan election observer group with the help of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other stakeholders including the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) aims to increase citizens participation in the exercise.