[ 2015-05-03 ]

Group Roots For IDEG Boss As EC Chair
People’s Actions to Win Life All-Round (PAWLA),
a non- Governmental Organisation (NGO) has
suggested the need for Dr Emmanuel Akwetey,
Executive Director of Institute of Democratic
Governance (IDEG), as new boss for the Electoral
Commission (EC).

The NGO has therefore appealed to President John
Dramani Mahama and the Council of State to
facilitate the process.

The NGO described Dr Akwetey as a transparent,
accountable, honest, non-partisan and a unifying
personality, adding that his independent
mindedness and high sense of integrity gives him
the capacity to consolidate the gains made in
Ghana’s democratic governance.

A statement issued by Mr Emmanuel Baluri
Alasidongor, Founding Executive Director of PAWLA
and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Wa referred
to Dr Akwetey, as a competent academician and an
accomplished manager who is a very passionate
advocate of peace, democratic governance and human
development as well as civil participation in
credible management of multiparty democracy across
Africa.

Dr Akwetey, who is a Political Scientist with a
PhD in International Politics and Development
obtained from the University of Stockholm, Sweden
in 1994, is widely consulted on issues of
political and administrative transitions as well
as international aid and development
effectiveness, the statement said.

A current member of the Commonwealth Eminent
Persons Group and one who partnered several
bilateral and multilateral institutions to
implement their capacity development vision for
Ghana and Africa as a whole, Dr Akwetey recently
won for IDEG, the ‘Millennium Excellence
Award’ for Democratic Development in Ghana for
the period 2005 – 2010, the statement said.

The statement revealed that the governance, peace
and democracy ace, had been recently presented
with the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Award for
Peace and Social Justice for his role in Ghana’s
pre and post-election environment through his
initiation of dialogue among political parties and
other stakeholders.

Dr Akwetey’s commitment to decentralisation and
fight against corruption within governments
coupled with his non-partisan and enormous
contribution towards electoral reforms in Ghana
and other African countries makes him a very
strong candidate for the new EC Chairman’s
position.

PAWLA therefore appeals to the President to search
no further but appoint the IDEG Executive Director
to the new EC Chairman’s position for him to
bring his knowledge and experience bear in order
to move Ghana’s electoral credentials to a
higher pedestal.

This, the country can continue to live on its
glory of being the beacon of democracy in
Africa,” the statement said.

Source - GNA

... go Back