The value of peace pact in accepting election results - Prof. John Gatsi

Peace pacts are signed prior to elections to ensure public commitment to the acceptance of results that may be generated by free and fair electoral process. Thus, peace pacts are conditional commitments.

In the presence of constitutional provisions about how elections are to be conducted and in addition to the requirements of Constitutional Instruments guiding elections, it is my position that peace pacts prior to elections are conditional and cannot be rated above the weight of electoral rules.

Reference can only be made to a peace pact if the elections conform to the constitutional and electoral rules. Unless the peace pact implies accepting of any results declared irrespective of whether the rules of elections have been adhered to or not.

Such a brewing mindset from sections of the Ghanaian moral society will breed investments in rigging of elections, gross violation of electoral rules and above all the creation of an environment to compete for electoral fraud.

Over the past weeks, there have been several references to the peace pact signed by the two major political parties. The organizers of the peace pact should appreciate the fact that political parties and the public do not accept that the peace pact means accepting results that a political party believes are not up to the standards of the rules governing the electoral process. The believers in peace pacts have the right to appeal but idolizing peace pacts while refusing to assess the foundations of the rejection of election results is rather supporting investments in electoral fraud.