Tamale, Oct. 8, GNA - The European Union (EU) has called for the conduct of free, fair and peaceful elections in the country. The EU said Ghana was a beacon of democracy in Africa and it was therefore important for it to deepen the culture of democracy in the country and not to allow the political atmosphere to degenerate into chaos, as had happened in other countries. Mr Francis Hurtut, the French Ambassador in Ghana made the call at a press briefing in Tamale on Wednesday as part of a two-day visit of an eight-member EU Ambassadors Mission to the Northern Region, to promote peaceful elections on December 7.

The delegation includes Miroslav Krenek, Czech Republic Ambassador to Ghana and Hans Christian Winkler, Counsellor of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Mr Hurtut said Ghana would lose the respect, goodwill and confidence of the EU, if the country's elections were not conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, adding that, investor confidence would also be lost.

Mr Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, Head of the EU delegation said the team was on a fact-finding mission on the electoral process in the Northern Region and that their message was to ensure an election, which would be free, fair and transparent. He said the delegation would among other things, visit "polling stations to monitor what would happen on the field" and also interact with the Electoral Commission (EC), political parties' representatives, traditional and religious authorities, as well as civil society organisations.