Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the country has all it takes to conduct both the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections without any challenges amidst the outbreak of the coronavirus.
According to him, the pandemic cannot stop the country from going ahead with its democratic and constitutional mandate.
Nana Akufo-Addo in an address on Monday night ahead of the voters’ registration exercise indicated that just as other nations have through the pandemic, held successful elections, Ghana is also capable of doing same.
“We should not fear or be alarmed. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, elections are being properly conducted in many nations across the globe. In Asia, we have witnessed the conduct of the successful elections of South Korea in April at the height of the pandemic in that country. In Europe, last week, we have seen those of Poland, and in our own continent of Africa, both Mali and Malawi have preceded us in organizing successful, national elections. Surely, it is not beyond Ghana to join these nations in organizing a successful general election, even in the midst of the pandemic,” he said.
He further described as “impossible, calls for the conduct of the polls after complete eradication of the virus” insisting that “there is no other way, and, in order to forestall any needless constitutional controversy which could throw our nation into jeopardy, we must vote on 7th December, 2020. The same applies to Parliament”.
“There are some who have argued, and continue to argue that in the midst of a pandemic, the compilation of a new register, and, indeed, the conduct of the presidential and parliamentary elections should be put on hold and scheduled for a later date, perhaps, when the pandemic ends. That is not possible,” Akufo-Addo stressed.
He, therefore, entreated eligible voters to go all out to participate in the Electoral Commission’s nationwide voters’ registration exercise scheduled for Tuesday, June 30, 2020.
This, he said, will enable Ghanaians to carry out other electoral processes so they exercise their franchise freely in December as required by law.
“So please, once again, if you are 18 years of age and above, and are of sound mind, from tomorrow, or the appointed time, go to your polling station and register. If you do not register now, you cannot vote in December.”