EISA Continental Observer Mission to the 2008 Ghana Presidential & Parliamentary Elections

Arrival statement

3 December 2008

Following an invitation extended by the Electoral Commission of Ghana, EISA is deploying a mission to observe the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana, scheduled for Sunday 7 December 2008. The Mission is led by Mr Denis Kadima, EISA Executive Director. It consists of 15 members drawn from civil society organisations (CSOs) from 13 African countries, namely Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Zambia.

The overall purpose of the mission is in line with EISA's vision of an African continent where democratic governance, human rights and citizen participation are upheld in a peaceful environment. This is the first time EISA is deploying an observer mission outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. These elections enable EISA to bring observers from all over the African continent, particularly from countries without a long tradition of competitive elections and those with upcoming elections. In so doing, the organisation hopes to provide an opportunity for all Mission members to assess the credibility of these elections as well as learn from the Ghanaian experience. Specific objectives of the Mission include:

  • Assess whether conditions exist for the conduct of elections that allow the people of Ghana to freely express their will;
  • Assess and determine whether the elections are conducted in accordance with the constitutional and legal framework for elections in Ghana;
  • Ascertain whether the electoral process in Ghana is conducted in conformity with the African Union (AU) Principles governing democratic elections in Africa and the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation;
  • Determine whether the final results of the electoral process as a whole reflect the wishes of the people of Ghana.

The Mission was preceded by a small advance team who examined the legal, political and logistical conditions prior to the December 2008 elections as well as to make the arrangements for the arrival of the rest of the team on 1 December 2008. The Mission will hold a series of meetings with election stakeholders, including the Electoral Commission of Ghana, representatives of presidential candidates, political parties, CSOs, security forces and academics, ahead of Election Day. On Thursday 4 December 2008, EISA will deploy teams to the following regions: Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern and Volta.

On Election Day, 7 December 2008, EISA teams will observe the voting and counting processes. On Monday 8 December 2008, all teams will reconvene in Accra for a debriefing session followed by the presentation of an interim statement the next day. The Mission will also monitor post election developments.

In undertaking a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process, the Mission will co operate closely with the Ghanaian electoral stakeholders and other observers, and strive to act with impartiality, objectivity and independence. EISA is a continental not for profit organisation established in 1996 and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with field offices in the DRC (Kinshasa), Mozambique (Maputo), Madagascar (Antananarivo), Sudan (Khartoum) and Côte d'Ivoire (Abidjan). EISA strives for excellence in the promotion of credible elections, participatory democracy, human rights culture, and the strengthening of governance institutions for the consolidation of democracy in Africa. EISA services electoral commissions, political parties, civil society organisations, governments and other institutions operating in the democracy and governance fields in Africa.

The EISA Mission Secretariat is based at the African Regent Hotel, Accra, and can be contacted through Ms Karen Ogle on +233 241 913 438.

Denis Kadima
Mission Leader

 
 

Ghana EOM

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