Kumasi, May 1, GNA- Ghanaians have been urged to be effective participants and auditors of the nation's democratic governance system at all levels, Mr. Peter Hastings Mensah, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) has said. He said, "this is the only way to translate our sovereign will into practical realities of our political, democratic life and thus make democracy a living phenomenon".

Speaking at a workers' durbar in Kumasi on Thursday to mark the May Day celebration, Mr. Mensah said people's direct and skilled participation in all the steps of the electoral process would ensure that they ultimately influence the decisions that affect them. He said; "The Constitution places the sovereignty of Ghana in his people in whose name and welfare the power of government is exercised.

"It is our conviction therefore that all major players in our democratic process, the Electoral Commission, the Security Agencies, Political Parties, The Media, the Judiciary, Traditional and Religious bodies, Governance Institutions as well as the ordinary citizens will play their roles and help the democratic pillars of Freedom, Justice, Transparency, Probity and Accountability, Rule of Law to ensure our national unity and stability."

The Deputy Regional Director noted that disagreements about election results everywhere in the world posed a serious challenge to political stability and unity of the State.

He, therefore, stressed that, "in exercising our rights to choose our national leaders and representatives, it is important that we go through the process in a free, fair, transparent and peaceful manner with an aim of attaining political stability and constitutional development for our country".

"In the past 15 years of constitutional democracy, we have made great efforts to appreciate the challenges of constitutionalism as one strong pillar of democracy, we may not have understood and appreciated fully the challenges and the implications of our roles though, yet we all agree that we have made significant strides upon which we have to build our hopes fore the future".