By Eric Crentsil and Mavis Otchere
The National Peace Council (NPC) has urged Political Parties to resort to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to resolve their differences instead of opting for acrimonious litigation.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a two-day Consultation and Training Program on ADR for political parties in Accra, Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional Peace Council, Reverend Samuel Kofi Osabutey, called for the need for political parties to take their support of the integrity of the electoral process seriously.
Rev. Osabutey urged the parties to demand appropriate information and support election management bodies once appointments are made.
The two-day multi-stakeholder consultation and training on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for political parties was organized by the NPC in partnership with Star Ghana Foundation.
In attendance were the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the Convention People’s Party (CPP). The rest are the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), and the People’s National Convention (PNC) and All People’s Congress (APC).
The training was under the theme: “Countering Post-election 2020 violence and building consensus for greater political Tolerance in Ghana (Healing the nation).”
The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Peace Council, Reverend Samuel Kofi Osabutey, emphasised that the significant part of electoral success can be largely attributed to the active participation and vigilance of the citizenry. The chairman further called on all stakeholders in the electoral process to play their role well.
Mr. Osabutey urged political parties, civil society, the media, and international observers to play a watchdog role in support of the electoral management bodies in promoting democracy through free, fair, and peaceful elections.
The workshop was to enhance the capacity of election stakeholders, especially political parties, to develop sustainable dispute resolution structures to manage disputes and minimise election-related disputes and violence.
