Christian Council Of Ghana ObElsecetiornv Evaenttso annd Report 7th December, 2012 WE SOW WE SOW Christian Council Of Ghana 2012 PRESIDENTIAL & PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 7th December, 2012 Compiled By: GEORGE SAGOE-ADDY CToabnlete ofnt OVERVIEW AND PREPARATION FOR ELECTION 2012................................................5 Context........................................................................................................5 Training of Election Observers......................................................................6 Advocacy Events..........................................................................................8 Sensitisation workshops..........................................................................8 Production and Airing of Peace Messages ...............................................9 Church Participation for Peaceful Election 2012.......................................9 EMINENT PERSONS GROUP........................................................................................9 CCG ELECTION OBSERVATION 2012........................................................................11 Pre- Election reports.....................................................................................11 Election Day................................................................................................12 Before Voting.........................................................................................12 Voting Period.........................................................................................13 REPORT FROM INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS..........................................................18 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................34 Overview.............................................................................................34 Media..................................................................................................35 Official Presidential and Parliamentary Results......................................36 Post-Election Activities.........................................................................36 Lessons Learnt......................................................................................36 Recommendations by CCG and its Observer Team................................37 Press Release........................................................................................39 ANNEXES ...................................................................................................................40 02 CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF GHANA Acronyms AU Africa Union BNI Bureau of National Investigation BVD Biometric Verification Device CCG Christian Council of Ghana CHW Christian Home Week CODEO Coalition of Domestic Election Observers CSOs Civil Society Organisations CPP Convention Peoples Party EED Church Development Service EC Electoral Commission ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States EPG Eminent Persons Group GJA Ghana Journalist Association GTV Ghana Television IEA Institute of Economic Affairs LCCs Local Council of Churches NCCE National Commission for Civic Education NDC National Democratic Congress NPP New Patriotic Party PNC People's National Convention PPP Progressive People’s Party MFWA Media Foundation for West Africa NDI National Democratic Institute NDP National Democratic Party NGOs Non-governmental Organisations NMC National Media Commission PO Presiding Officer SADC Southern African Development Community STAR Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Ghana SPD State Protocol Department 03 ELECTION EVENTS AND OBSERVATION REPORT Acknowledgement e are grateful to the Almighty Protestant Churches (EED), Germany God for His goodness and mercy through financial support will always Wthroughout the implementation receive applause and commendation from of the project, most importantly during and the CCG community. The recognition of after the election period. the importance of the Church's participation in good governance, hence The Christian Council of Ghana timely support in voter education and acknowledges the role of the Statesmen, election observation will always be Technocrats and Church Leaders who cherished. This support has expanded our dedicated their time in working together local voter educators and observer base with heads of Churches and leadership of across the country. We are profoundly the Council towards a peaceful Ghana. We grateful to EED for this gesture and believe salute our Local Council of Churches for that this wonderful relationship would their enthusiasm and commitment to continue. efforts geared towards peaceful and credible elections in Ghana. We hope to We are most grateful to the Electoral continue to nurture this relationship to Commission (EC), National Commission influence interventions especially at the on Civic Education (NCCE), Coalition of local level to foster national cohesion. Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), and Civic Forum Initiative (CFI) for the We cannot show how grateful we are to the various levels of collaboration in ensuring audience provided by the high echelons of peaceful election 2012. state institutions such as the Chief Justice C h a m b e r s , N a t i o n a l S e c u r i t y We commend our international observer Coordinator's Office, Ghana Police team led by Heiko Meindhart from EED / Service, National Media Commission, Bread for the World, Germany for the Bureau of National Investigation among quality work and contribution to the CCG others. observer team. The open warm arms and commitment We finally thank the team at the CCG with which the four major political parties Secretariat especially Rev. Dr. Fred including the New Patriotic Party, National Deegbe, Mr. George Sagoe-Addy, Joyce Democratic Congress, Peoples National Steiner and Bernice Appianing-Agyemang Convention and the Convention Peoples for the immense commitment and energy Party gave the CCG and Eminent Persons’ invested into this exercise to consolidate Group members during engagements on Ghana's democracy in a peaceful peaceful election is worth noting. environment whiles fortifying CCG's participation in electoral processes and The partnership extended by Church reforms and peacebuilding. Development Service, an Association of 04 CHRISTIAN COUNCIL OF GHANA Overview and Preparation for Election 2012 Context It is also critical to recognize the relationship of sustained democratic Since the Fourth Republic, Ghana has governance to the development of the successfully conducted five (5) elections Ghanaian Economy in the context of with three (3) successful transfers of human resource, socio-economic and political power and government. These infrastructure development in an enabling laudable achievements in the process of environment where citizens can express deepening our democracy has had its fair their God given rights in the ambit of the share of irregularities including rejected freedom spelt out in the Constitution of ballots, violence, protracted and insulting Ghana. language and tension with the potential to trigger civil unrest. The CCG in the 2012 Election period therefore sought to contribute to sustaining For instance, the photo finish of the 2008 the peace in a proactive manner with presidential election which saw the current involvement of major stakeholders. In the government win by a margin of over same vain, contribute to developing a 40,000 votes raised tensions within the strong local observer base which will period. The calmness that prevailed post- participate in citizen civic education election was brokered reactively by some whiles participating to ensure a credible, civil society organisations, CCG and some free and fair Election 2012. For these eminent members of society. r e a s o n s t h e E v a n g e l i s c h e r Entwicklungsdienst (EED) supported our Again, the continuous tension between the Voter Education and Election Monitoring two major political parties NPP and NDC 2012 Project whiles Strengthening believing they each command the numbers Transparency, Accountability and to win the election continue to be a worry. Responsiveness (STAR-Ghana) supported This phenomenon and polarisation of the the proactive engagements of the Eminent two major parties has aggravated into war Persons Group. of insults and other protracted language with the penchant to win the election at all c o s t . T h e m i s c o n c e p t i o n a n d misunderstanding of the introduction of biometric registration and verification into the 2012 Election amongst political parties, intellectuals and the general public also complicated the political climate and fuelled mistrust in the electoral system. 05 ELECTION EVENTS AND OBSERVATION REPORT Training of Election Observers ·Citizenship and the Sovereign will of the People The CCG sought to strengthen its existing ·Electoral Operations in a local observer base from the 2008 Election Democratic System Observation by increasing the total number ·Roles and Responsibilities of Key of trained observers and voter educators. Actors This year the area of operation increased ·Electoral Campaigning and Pre- from three to five regions whiles the total elections activities number of Local Council of Churches ·Election Observation and (LCCs) actively involved in observation Monitoring increased from 12 to 19 LCCs. A Training of ·O b s e r v e r s ' R o l e s a n d Trainers workshop and downstreaming Responsibilities training activities were organized in two ·Observers' Code of Conduct parts to refresh about 300 local