Accra, Sept. 3, GNA - The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Wednesday called on all politicians to abide by the Election 2008 Political Parties Code of Conduct they collectively signed in May this year. The NCCE described recent violent incidents in some parts of the Northern Region between supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), and intra-party violence during the NPP primaries across the nation as negative political developments. A statement signed by Mr Baron Amoafo, NCCE Deputy Chairman, Finance and Administration, urged the various political parties, especially NPP and NDC leaders and functionaries to be wary of the "enemies of democracy".

Mr Amoafo charged the NPP and NDC to narrow their political differences, focus on issues during their electioneering campaign and raise relevant socio-economic issues that would enable the electorate to make informed choices at the December polls. "NPP and NDC leadership must be very careful not to derail the democratic development of the country through any act of omission or commission as Ghana's democracy is not firmly rooted and so could easily be uprooted.

"We should not create the impression that when differences occur among two members of the same family an outside intruder would be allowed to take advantage of the situation." The NCCE urged the security agencies to be continuously vigilant and adopt non-partisan posture so as to deal with the perpetrators of the disturbances in the country and elsewhere before, during and after the elections. 3 Sept. 08