Peace Council, NCCE, Holds Consultative Constituency Peace Dialogue in Ashaiman.

Ashaiman: The Greater Accra Regional Peace Council (GARPC), in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has organized a consultative dialogue aimed at ensuring a peaceful election in the Ashaiman constituency. The event led to the signing of a peace pact by political party representatives to promote harmony in the area.According to Ghana News Agency, the dialogue was sponsored by the British High Commission, UK International Development, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Rt. Reverend Samuel Osabutey, the Chairman of the GARPC, conveyed through Mr. Henry Attoh Okai, an Executive Member of the GARPC, that the dialogue focused on peace promotion. The peace pact was described as both timely and essential for the upcoming election on December 7.Mr. Okai explained that the dialogue served as a platform for open consultations, contributing to the content of the peace pact to be signed by presidential and select parliamentary candidates across the country. He empha sized that the pact would guide candidate conduct before, during, and after elections, promoting political tolerance, consensus-building, and media decency.He elaborated that peace pacts represent collective hopes and efforts to build lasting peace based on mutual respect, trust, and understanding. Key elements of the pact include political reforms, ceasefire agreements, security arrangements, justice and reconciliation, development and construction, and monitoring and enforcement.Mr. Okai affirmed the council's belief that the signed pact would yield meaningful outcomes, address grievances, reduce tensions, and prevent electoral violence. Mr. Mawuli Agbenu, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the NCCE, highlighted the anxiety among political leaders and supporters during elections, which sometimes leads to violence.He stated that the NCCE, Peace Council, and security agencies are working to maintain peace by educating the electorate to focus on political issues rather than conflict-inducing matters. The peace pact aims to appeal to candidates' moral responsibilities, encouraging peaceful resolutions to misunderstandings.The pact was signed by three of the four parliamentary candidates contesting the Ashaiman seat: Mr. Alfred Tetteh Numo of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Emmanuel Mantey of the Progressive Peoples Party, and Mr. Kofi-Yesu Heymann of the Liberal Party of Ghana. The incumbent Member of Parliament and National Democratic Congress's candidate, Mr. Ernest Norgbey, did not participate in the signing. The candidates who signed pledged to maintain peace and accept election results without resorting to violence.