Kufuor calls for fairness in 2012 polls

Former Ghanaian President John Agyekum Kufuor Tuesday called on the country's Electoral Commission (EC) to institute measures that would ensure a fair and balanced atmosphere for all political parties in the Dec. 7 polls. Addressing a cross-section of the youth here at a three-day workshop organized by the John Agyekum Kufuor (JAK) Foundation, in collaboration with the International Republic Institute, Kufuor emphasized Ghana could have free and fair polls if the EC remained neutral and did not bend the rules to favor any political party or candidate. "If we will have peaceful elections this year, it will depend on how the referee (EC) conducts itself above all," He stated. The former Ghanaian leader cautioned the absence of fairness on the part of the electoral body in the conduct of the presidential and parliamentary elections could spark unnecessary tension or violent reactions. He urged participants to take advantage of the opportunities the Foundation presented to them and learn more about leadership to influence their peers on the various university campuses. The EC has come under a barrage of criticisms from various interest groups, including leading opposition party members, over its decision to create 45 new constitutions ahead of the December polls. Members of the Minority in Parliament Monday walked out during deliberations on the first of the mandatory 21 sitting days required for the maturation of the Legislative Instrument (C.I.77) giving legal backing to the creation of the new constituencies. The JAK Foundation, an initiative of the former president, was launched in the Ghanaian capital in September, last year, to expose young people to good governance and leadership training. Kufuor won political power in the 2000 general election and ruled from January 7, 2001, to January 6, 2009, becoming the second president of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. He is also a former chair of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), African Union (AU), and the UN inter- peace program.