Abraham Amaliba, Director of Conflict Resolution for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has expressed skepticism about the impact of the 2024 election peace pact, suggesting it may fail to produce meaningful outcomes.
His comments come after John Dramani Mahama, the NDC’s presidential candidate, signed the agreement despite earlier signals that the party might not participate.
The peace pact, a longstanding tradition aimed at ensuring violence-free elections in Ghana, was signed by political parties under the auspices of the National Peace Council and the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG).
Speaking on The Big Issues on Channel One TV on Saturday, November 30, 2024, Amaliba criticised the pact for not addressing the root causes of electoral violence.
He argued that while the agreement involves political leaders, it does not adequately address the conduct of security forces, who are often implicated in election-related disputes.
He called for a more holistic approach to tackling electoral violence, emphasising the need for accountability and institutional reforms within Ghana’s electoral and security frameworks.
“This peace pact was signed by people who do not have control over the security agencies, which are now being used in our elections. Those who have control over our security agencies were not there to sign. What is going to be the impact? The impact is that the peace pact will not see the light of day.
“Because they are not committed. They have not been tied to any agreement. So, is it possible that any of them could instruct the army to go and do what they did in Techiman South? Is it possible that any of them could instruct the army to go and do what they did in parliament?
“We need to look at it from that angle and I think that the peace council, IDEG, missed the point. They didn’t know that violence in our elections has now shifted and it is now been perpetuated by state agencies,” he stated.
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