Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Accra (Agenzia Fides) – The Presidential and Parliamentary elections set to take place on Sunday, December 7 are a test not only for the local democracy, but for all Africa. This is the opinion of many experts on Africa who point out two important aspects in these elections. Firstly, outgoing President John Kufuor, at the end of two consecutive terms, as foreseen by the Constitution, has not presented himself again in the race. This is an important precedent, considering that it is a continent of countries with “Presidents for life,” who serve for 20, 30, and 40 years.
Secondly, during Kufuor's presidency, Ghana registered a strong economic growth that made it a “spotlight country” for western Africa. In the eight years of Kufuor's presidency, the Gross National Product in Ghana went from 3.9 billion dollars, to 16 billion dollars, and the recent discovery of important oil deposits, makes the arrival of new investments a likely possibility, which would lead to the development of this important resource, which would be added to the already existing ones of gold and cocoa). According to several estimates, Ghana would have the same amount of fuel reserves as Angola and Nigeria.
These are positive signs, however the recent episodes of electoral violence in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria led the local authorities and the international community to take a prudent move, and a mission of observers from the European Union was established in Ghana one month ago. Episodes of violence have been reported in the southern regions, which are lesser developed, while the outgoing President has been criticized for having favored his ethnic group, the Akan, the main population group that also lives in the most developed areas.
The pre-election tensions have increased due to the speeches of several politicians. Archbishop Gabriel Charles Palmer Buckle of Accra criticized “those speeches and actions that do not promote peace, but that instead lead to fear, revenge, mistrust, bitterness, and resentment.”
The Bishops of Ghana issued a Pastoral Letter in preparation for the elections, in which they said that “as Christian citizens, we should be concerned for our country's growth and stability; we should seek to promote the common good.” The Bishops also ask that the citizens refrain from acts of violence, fanaticism, intolerance, and threat, and that they “preserve and reinforce the already existing peace in the country.”
The Bishops reminded those who work in the mass media of the need for a high sense of responsibility and professionality in carrying out their functions: “We invite the mass media to conserve its noble service of informing, educating, and promoting an intelligent debate on common issues.”
There are 12.4 million voters among a population of some 23 million. There are 8 Presidential candidates, while there are about 1,000 candidates vying for 230 Parliament seats. The favorites are Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, of the National Democratic Congress (NPP, the party of the outgoing President); John Atta-Mills (who previously lost on two occasions, to Kufuor), and Papa Kwesi Nduom, a rich businessman. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 5/12/2008)
