Asawase bye-election was fair and transparent but not free from fear-CDD

Accra, April 26, GNA - The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on Tuesday said the Asawase bye-elections held on April 21 was fair and transparent but not free from fear.

It, therefore, condemned the use of 'macho men' in multi-party electoral competition to intimidate and harass voters, in a statement issued in Accra.

The statement said: " The CDD-Ghana rejects such an approach to electoral politics in Ghana and it calls on all political parties to eschew such barbaric practices in future elections."

The CDD-Ghana, therefore, implored political parties to inculcate the value of political tolerance in supporters and educate their supporters to understand a political opponent was not an enemy and election was not a zero sum game. It called on the Media to be careful in their election reportage, adding:

"Exaggerated and poorly verified alarmist reporting creates tension and fans the flames of conflict."

The CDD-Ghana congratulated the winner and losers in the elections, saying, "Ghanaian democracy is the overall winner".

It also commended the Electoral Commission (EC) for the smooth running of the election and the security agencies for their vigilance. The CDD-Ghana deployed 10-member observer team to the Constituency. It monitored 91 out of the 107 polling stations on the polling day and also conducted a pre-election monitoring exercise a week before the elections.