THE EAST Akim Municipal Electoral Officer, Fred Opare has advised political parties and their supporters to be vigilant on election day to ensure that no person or group of persons disrupted the polls.
He said the situation where hired ?macho? men invaded polling stations to snatch away ballot boxes, undermined the electoral process and threatened peace in the country.
He consequently asked security agencies, party agents and supporters of political parties to help protect ballot boxes on election day.
Mr Opare gave the advice at a forum organized by the Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED) for political party supporters and leaders in the Abuakwa North constituency to help promote peace during and after the general elections.
The forum which was on the theme ?Promoting Peaceful Elections for Sustainable Development? was attended by parliamentary candidates for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Victor Emmanuel Smith and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), J.B. Danquah Adu, as well as supporters of the two main political parties.
Mr. Opare told the forum that when a ballot box containing cast ballots was snatched or ?stolen?, it completely derailed the election process making it very difficult for the results to be declared.
He said the Electoral Commission (EC) was doing its best to ensure free and fair elections.
?Currently we are training our returning officers who were chosen after applying for these advertised positions,? he said.
He asked political party leaders to trust EC officials and all those hired by the commission to run the elections.
The forum was so lively that supporters of the two aspirants cheered on as the candidates mounted the podium to speak.
Mr. Smith who is also the Eastern Regional Minister called on the supporters of all parties to be civil with their campaign messages.
?We don?t want politicians to insult and malign their opponents and also tell lies to win votes,? he said adding that such a situation will not augur well for peace.
For his part, Mr. Danquah said he was determined to conduct a clean campaign because he knew he was going to win the elections hands down.
Executive Director of GenCED, Esther Tawiah said her organization which was into promoting the welfare of women and children, organized the forum to sensitize politicians and their supporters on the need to avoid violence on election day. ?Electoral violence apart from causing trauma to the vulnerable brings destruction of properties, leads to loss of lives, disintegration of families and all forms of assault on women,? she noted.
The forum was sponsored by the French Embassy.
From Thomas Fosu Jnr, New Tafo
