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| Ghana - Election 28 December 2008 - Run off - Latest Ghana News 01.01.2009 |
 “Ghana is moving forward so don't be left behind.” (NPP , 16.12.2008) | - NPP says court order stops Tain vote - Embrace Peace And Unity - Rawlings - Press Statement from the NDC - Minority Parties Ask Akufo Addo To Concede - NPP Agents signed statement of polls in Volta - NDC - Redirect request to stop declaration of results Court tells NPP - Violent protest over Ghana poll results - NPP supporters in Tain refuse to vote - Judge says no to NPP - CDD disturbed by NPP's attempt "to stall transition" |
TaDa..TaDa.. - Last STOP Tain...! Fasten Seat Belt...,please! (GhanaWeb-News.com, 20.12.2008)
> BACK TO TOP < NPP says court order stops Tain vote ... Afari-Gyan knows nothing about it
... CDD deeply disturbed by NPP's 'logoligi'
... Tain runs out of food & water
Ghana's ruling party says it has won a court order stopping one last constituency from voting Friday in the country's tight presidential election, but the election organisers insisted it would go ahead.
"The court granted the order" to stop the vote from taking place, Arthur Kennedy of the New Patriotic Front (NPP) told AFP.
"We think the security situation on the ground is not conducive for a free and fair election. There is a lot of tension there," he said referring to the situation in the Tain constituency.
But the official election organisers said Friday's vote would go ahead.
Asked about the court order, electoral commission chief Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, said late Thursday: "I am not aware of that. As far as I'm concerned the election in Tain will take place as planned."
He refused to discuss the hypothesis of what would happen were he served with an order preventing the voting from going ahead and said he would release the results of the Tain vote as soon as the results came in.
Tain, which measures the equivalent of just 40 miles (65 kilometres) up and across, is the last of Ghana's 230 constituencies to vote.
Problems with distributing ballot papers had halted their participation in Sunday's runoff poll.
Police and military were deployed throughout the western pocket of land, which holds just over 50,000 eligible voters.
Partial election results from 229 constituencies have shown opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate John Atta-Mills holding a thin lead of around 23,000 votes over his ruling party rival Nana Akufo-Addo.
NDC campaign coordinator Alex Segbefia said the party had not heard anything about the vote being cancelled.
"As far as the NDC is concerned we are planning for the election tomorrow," he told AFP.
Earlier Thursday, Ghana's Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), a pro-democracy NGO, said it was "deeply disturbed by the NPP's attempt to stall the transition through legal action.
"While this is within the party's right, even a legal victory would not overturn the political and electoral mandate of the December 28 vote," CDD's director Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi said.
He was speaking before the NPP said it had won its court bid.
"The best thing now for Ghana's democratic credentials - and for the NPP's credibility - would be for the party to allow the democratic process to move forward and be prepared to concede defeat after the Tain election," he said.
Earlier Thursday, the NPP had sought an injunction to stop the electoral commission from announcing poll results before investigating what the NPP alleged were irregularities in Sunday's vote in an NDC stronghold.
Accra High Court judge Edward Amoako Asante adjourned Thursday's hearing into that case to Monday to allow the NPP to serve a notice of the motion to the electoral commission and the NDC.
Observers and analysts say that in the absence of a legal order, there is nothing to stop Afari-Gyan from declaring a winner when all the returns are in.
"He is not bound by anything because the court has not issued an order to restrain him from publishing the results," said Nana Oye Lithur, a local lawyer and rights campaigner.
Thousands of activists from both parties thronged the towns and villages of Tain, which by Thursday night had run out of food and drinking water.
Embrace Peace And Unity - Rawlings Former President Rawlings has called on Ghanaians to embrace peace and unity as the 2008 Presidential elections draw to a climax.
In a statement issued after the announcement by the Electoral Commission on Tuesday that voting in Tain will be held to determine the final outcome of the election, President Rawlings called for restraint and maturity from all Ghanaians.
“These elections have tested us to the limit and having successfully gone through December 7 and 28 let us patiently wait for January 2 to close the chapter on a landmark election.”
The former President said Ghanaians should not allow the closely fought nature of the election to polarise the country.
“Ghana belongs to us all and at any particular period there can be only one President. The signs are on the wall as to who that person will be but it is important we put the final result behind us and work together as a nation,” President Rawlings said.
On the elections in Tain former President Rawlings called for serious vigilance in the light of the incredible voter turnout percentages in certain constituencies in December 28 runoff.
“Tain may be the home of the NDC because of its links to senior party officials such as Johnson Asiedu Nketia and John Mahama but it is important that every stage of the process from the distribution of election materials to polling stations right to the faxing of the constituency result to the Electoral Commission be closed monitored to avoid doctoring of figures,” the former President cautioned.
President Rawlings counselled against taunting of rival supporters and excessive victory celebrations saying these can escalate into unwarranted violence.
The former President and founder of the National Democratic Congress has meanwhile arrived in Tain to campaign for Prof John Atta Mills.
Signed: Kofi Adams
Press Statement from the National Democratic Congress on the attempt to obtain an Ex-parte injunction to prevent the declaration of the results of the Presidential Elections
The National Democratic Congress has noted that earlier today the 1st of January 2009, the New Patriotic Party attempted to obtain an injunction against the Electoral Commission to delay the declaration of the results of the Presidential Elections. However the presiding Judge in his wisdom decided that it was important that both the Electoral Commission and the National Democratic Congress were also served with the court processes before he would proceed with hearing their application on Saturday the 3rd of January and give a ruling on Monday the 5th of January.
Therefore as the application has not been granted there is no injunction that would prevent the Electoral Commission from announcing the results of the Presidential Elections as soon as the Elections in the Tain Constituency are concluded and the results announced. We would also like to inform the good people of Ghana that the application filed today in the Fast Track High Court in Accra has nothing to do with the elections in the Tain Constituency and therefore can not be used as a basis to prevent that election from coming on tomorrow on the 2nd of January 2009.
The NDC wishes to assure its supporters and the good people of Ghana that it is ready to participate in the elections in the Tain Constituency. Therefore all the Party’s Polling Agents, and the electorate in the Tain Constituency should hold themselves in readiness to participate in the elections tomorrow the 2nd of January 2008. The NDC as a political party will always respect the will of the people and will not resort to using legal procedures to frustrate the peoples will. We therefore encourage our supporters to remain calm and wait for the outcome of the results of the elections to be held tomorrow.
We also wish to add our voices to that of our Flagbearer - Professor John Evans Atta-Mills and wish the good people of Ghana a Happy, Prosperous and Better New Year.
Hanna Tetteh Director of Communications National Democratic Congress
1st January 2008, Accra
Source:
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS |
NPP Agents signed statement of polls in Volta - NDC Ho, Jan. 1, GNA - The Volta Region Branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Thursday said New Patriotic Party (NPP) Agents were not molested and that was they signed all the statements of results in the Region.
A statement Mr Francis Ganyaglo, Volta Regional Secretary of the Party, signed said all NPP "polling agents have signed the statements of poll, both at the Polling Stations and the collation centres throughout the 22 constituencies of the Region".
The statement was issued in reaction to accusation levelled by NPP that its Agents in the Volta Region were molested during the December 28 2008 Presidential Election Runoff.
It described the accusations as "lies and cheap propaganda moves to put dust into the eyes of the good people of Ghana".
The Volta NDC, therefore, urged "all well-meaning Ghanaians, who believe in democracy and sanctity of the voice of the people, to treat the move by the NPP as a sign of a dying elephant".
The statement alerted the Security Agencies about what they said were attempts "to tamper with some ballot boxes in the Volta Region and then call for a recount".
Redirect request to stop declaration of results - Court tells NPP Accra, Jan. 1, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Mr Justice Edward Amoako Asante has asked New Patriotic Party (NPP) to redirect its request to stop the final declaration of the Presidential Election Runoff results.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mr Mac Manu, Chairman of NPP, on Wednesday filed an ex-parte motion to stop the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and the EC from declaring the final results. They were represented by Mr Atta Akyea and Ms Irene Addo. But Mr Justice Asante said the case was so important and of national interest and could destabilise the country that it could not be heard ex-parte.
He ruled: "I hereby order the plaintiffs/applicant to serve the writ of summons as well as the motion for the interim injunction on the NDC and Prof. John Evans Atta Mills - that is the interested parties.
"Plaintiff is to file it by 1000 am Friday and the defence is to be filed by Sunday, 4pm.
"The said motion should be fixed for the fifth day of January, 2009."
Before making the order, Mr Samuel Cudjoe, who described himself as a friend of the court, drew the attention of Justice Asante to the fact that Thursday January 1 was a statutory public holiday and, therefore, the court could not sit.
He referred to "Court Order 79" which allowed the Chief Justice to constitute a court to sit on any day, even on vacation but stressed that the Chief Justice had no right to cause the court to sit on a statutory public holiday.
Mr Cudjoe said it was only the President, who could order the court to sit on statutory public holiday, and that he could do so not by word of mouth but by an Executive Instrument.
He said by giving the warrant for the court to sit on a statutory public holiday, the Chief Justice had committed an illegality. Mr Atta Akyea insisted that Court Order 79 allowed the Chief Justice to empanel a court any day, and stressed the "any day" and added "including vacation".
He said if the argument that it was the President that could order the court to sit on public holiday were to hold, it would amount to subjecting the Judiciary to the Executive and this would be in contravention to the concept of separation of powers.
After listening to the arguments Justice Asante ruled;"I see the concern raised by Mr Cudjoe but I am of the view that today is a public holiday and vacation day as well. Since I have a warrant to go on with the case, I think I have to proceed with the hearing of the matter." He then went on to issue the order.
Mr Tony Lithur, another friend of the court, said the Legislature in its wisdom decided that only the President could authorise the court and indeed any Ghanaian to work on a public holiday and so should it be. He accused Mr Atta Akyea of breaking the ethics of the legal profession by seeking to come to court with a major national issue on ex-parte. "You wanted to come in through the window but the window has been shut," he said.
After Justice Asante, had given his order, Mr Fui Tsikata, another friend of the court, still drew his attention to the fact that the sitting of the court on a statutory holiday was illegal so he could not give any order.
Mr Atta Akyea came in again to draw the attention of Mr Tsikata to the fact that he filed the motion on Wednesday December 31 2008, which was a working day. "You do not have the basic facts and you are talking," Mr Atta Akyea said.
Tempers flared up at certain stages. Mr Lithur unreservedly apologised to the court for his outburst.
Violent protest over Ghana poll results Ghanaian police fired water cannon late Wednesday on ruling party supporters who besieged the country's Electoral Commission in protest at presidential election results, witnesses and local media said.
Dozens of angry protesters wielding machetes and sticks attacked passing vehicles and local journalists after partial results from the run-off vote gave the opposition candidate a lead.
Completed official results for 229 of the 230 constituencies have shown opposition leader John Atta-Mills maintaining a slim lead over governing party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo.
The demonstrators only dispersed after the regional minister for greater Accra addressed the crowd and assured them of victory after the decisive vote in a remote constituency which has emerged as decisive.
Voters in Tain, a western constituency of just over 50,000 eligible voters, will cast their run-off ballots on Friday.
They failed to vote Sunday because of problems in the distribution of ballot papers -- and because the official results so far are too close to call, the result there could effectively decide who runs Ghana for the next four years.
The protest lasted roughly two hours, according to security sources at the scene.
An AFP reporter saw broken glass and other debris in the aftermath of the demonstration. Electoral commission officials at the scene refused to comment.
Meantime, the NPP has officially lodged its complaint to the electoral commission over alleged electoral irregularities in the opposition stronghold of the Volta region.
Senior NPP officials led by campaign director Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, were seen entering the EC offices to hand over the petition early evening on Wednesday.
NPP supporters in Tain refuse to voteSupporters of the NPP are demonstrating in the Tain Constituency where elections are scheduled for tomorrow January 2 to determine who Ghana’s next president is.
The demonstrators say they want the Electoral Commission to cancel the election in the constituency.
The elections in the Tain Constituency was not conducted on December 28, as the rest of the country as a result of late arrival of electoral materials.
But the conduct of the election in the Constituency was necessitated by the closeness of the race between Prof. Mills and Nana Akufo-Addo.
But the NPP supporters now say they will not vote calling on the EC to cancel the election.
Meanwhile the NDC is moving from door-to-door canvassing for votes. The leaders of the party in the persons of Prof. Mills, former president Rawlings and Mr. John Mahama are scrambling for whatever votes they can garner to seal the deal.
The NDC’s flag-bearer, Prof. Mills obtained 4, 501, 466 representing 50.13, which would have won him the election but the Electoral Commission Chairman Dr Afari-Gyan, said the race was so close that the result of Tain is necessary to determine the eventual winner.
The NPP’s candidate, Nana Addo has some catching up to with a deficit of 23, 055 votes.
To win, he needs to cover that difference and then obtain more votes than Prof. Mills.
The NDC on the other hand which is in an advantageous position, and sure of winning is campaigning feverishly to complete what begun years ago.
Judge says no to NPP The Fast Track High Court has refused to hear an ex-parte motion by the New Patriotic Party and its chairman, Peter Mac Manu, seeking an injunction on the Chairman of the Electoral Commission from announcing a winner of the presidential election.
Justice Amoako Asante ordered the plaintiffs to come to court by motion on notice, and by so doing serve the Electoral Commission and the National Democratic Congress as interest parties to enable them participate in the case.
The application primarily seeks to place an injunction on the EC from announcing a winner and next President of Ghana until claims of electoral fraud during the December 28 presidential runoff have been investigated and thoroughly thrashed.
The judge subsequently ordered the NPP and its chairman to serve the NDC and the EC copies of the process by 10am Friday, to enable the respondents file written responses by 11am Saturday so they can be heard.
According to Joy News reporter, Evans Mensah, the judge explained that the substance of the application was of national importance and so grave to the national health it was not proper for the plaintiffs to come by an ex-parte motion.
According to Mensah, a team of lawyers representing the NDC who had gone to the court following hints of such a case being filed, were profusely grateful to the judge for his ruling.
They had entertained fears a ruling in favour of the application could have serious implication for the outstanding Tain Constituency presidential runoff, scheduled for tomorrow Friday, January 2.
There were hot exchanges and virtual insults by lawyers on both sides in the court warranting the learned judges intervention.
Mr. Tony Lithur, one of the lawyers representing the NDC, accused the his counterpart, Mr Ataa Kyiaah of violating the laws of the land.
He contended that, by the country's laws, it is only the president who can order a person to work on a national holiday.
It was therefore, his view the Chief Justice who selected Justice Asante to sit on the case had no power to do so.
But Mr Atta Kyiaa disputed that position arguing the provision referred to by Mr. Lithur was applicable only in the case of the executive.
Here the Results from 229 constituencies ! Atta Mills (NDC) is leading ..but there are 1 constituency to go. (Tain constituency) The Electoral Commission announced that it couldn't declare a winner yet for the run-off.
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