Politics of Tuesday, 7 October 2008

Source: GNA

Women pray for peaceful election in December

Nkawkaw, Oct. 7, GNA - Women have called on the Electoral Commission (EC), to ensure transparency and implement all the electoral laws to ensure peace in the forth-coming general elections in the country.

The women also appealed to the EC to ensure freedom of voting by all eligible voters to forestall violence in the December presidential and parliamentary elections. Mrs Valeria Yaa Doe, Eastern Regional President of the Christian Mothers Association of the Catholic Church, made the call at the end of a four-day sixth Biennial Conference of the Eastern Regional branch of the Association at Nkawkaw.

She urged the EC to ensure early announcement of election results and advised supporters of defeated political parties to accept the results at the polling stations in good faith to ensure peace. Mrs Doe said since women and children formed about 70 percent of the country's population they would be greatly affected if there was an outbreak of violence in the country. She appealed to politicians to avoid insults during their campaigns and concentrate on issues, since their ultimate goal was to win power to initiate measures to develop the country. Mrs Doe advised women to comport themselves by avoiding the use of body languages and provocative words and the casting of insinuations against their opponents.

She said this would ensure peace in the country during and after the general elections. Mr Kwadjo Affram Asiedu, Eastern Regional Minister said in an address read on his behalf that the government was aware of the significant role women were playing to ensure peace in the country and would enforce all security laws to ensure violence free elections in December.

He said the Eastern Region had formed regional and district electoral security task forces to monitor and ensure order in the area to prevent anyone from disturbing the peace during the general elections. Mr Affram-Asiedu advised the youth not to allow politicians to use them to foment trouble.