GHANA: CIVIL SOCIETY PREPARES TO MEDIATE ELECTION CONFLICT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000338 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL SNAR GH SUBJECT: GHANA: CIVIL SOCIETY PREPARES TO MEDIATE ELECTION CONFLICT REF: Accra 187 ¶1. (U) Summary: In a series of meetings between Poloff and representatives of Ghanaian media, think tanks, and religious coalitions, civil society leaders predicted a contentious December presidential election but believed violence could be averted. The leaders conveyed a generally positive view of Electoral Commission (EC) preparations to-date, but said that the EC is not an effective dispute resolution body, and called for civil society to play a stronger role in mediating potential conflict. End Summary. Civil Society's Role in Assuring a Peaceful Election -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) Between February 26 and March 3, Poloff met with a number of leading civil society activists to solicit their views of the upcoming elections, including potential problems that Ghana faces. Among the leaders we met were: -- Ben Ephson, editor of the independent newspaper The Daily Dispatch. Ephson also conducts extensive political polling, overseeing a nationwide team of assistants to measure public opinion on candidates and issues. Post is providing Ephson with a DHRF grant for monitoring work during the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. -- Reverend Fred Deegbe, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana, a grouping of Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist leaders. The Christian Council conducts research-based advocacy on issues relating to governance and peace building, socio-economic justice, and gender and human rights. The organization has prior experience with election monitoring and has served as a mediator of conflicts between Christian and traditional authorities. Rev. Deegbe also chairs the Ghana Anti-Corruption Council. -- Peter Fiamor, research officer with the Institute for Democratic Government (IDEG),a research and advocacy group promoting civic engagement. IDEG works to improve Parliament's capacity to engage the executive branch and to help citizens present local issues to their elected representatives. IDEG is planning district-level debates among parliamentary aspirants before the December elections. -- Dr. Emmanuel Gyimah Boadi, Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD),a policy think-tank supporting good governance, rule-of-law, and institutional capacity-building. Gyimah-Boadi said his organization's key challenge is to strengthen parliament in order to "contain the excessive power of the executive branch" and to develop a robust system of checks and balances. CDD plans to participate in election monitoring in December. [NOTE: See reftel for Dr. Boadi's comments on what Kenya's post-election crisis means to Ghana. END NOTE] Observers Predict a Contentious Race -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Meeting with Poloff on February 27, Ben Ephson predicted a "contentious but not violent" presidential election in December. He said that the growing population of 'floating voters' not aligned to a specific party (estimated by Ephson to represent 25-30% of the electorate) will strongly influence the election results. Ephson stated that the floating voters see corruption as a significant problem and hold President Kufour's administration responsible for the rising level of corruption. Although Ephson predicts a second round runoff will occur (with the NDC prevailing),he said post-election violence is unlikely. Ephson believes voting irregularities will decrease in this election, due to improved voter identification cards and oversight, vigilant polling agents, and a more sophisticated electorate unlikely to be influenced by vote buying schemes. He said that citizens would take campaign money but not feel bound to vote for the bribe-giving candidate. ¶4. (U) Dr. Boadi predicted an intensely-contested election between two parties relatively equal in strength. Boadi noted that Ghana's excessive concentration of power in the executive branch makes the presidency the "main political prize" and that Ghana's anticipated oil revenue raises the stakes in the upcoming election. Although he predicts a contentious election, Boadi believes election-related conflict can be contained, provided the Electoral Commission maintains its level of transparency and revives the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC),and that media and civil society groups play an active role as observers. Civil Society's Role in Dispute Resolution -------------- ¶5. (U) Rev. Deegbe told Poloff that civil society groups must actively promote moderation and tolerance if election conflict arises. Deegbe opined that it is unlikely there will be significant violence following a disputed election, because Ghana has credible ACCRA 00000338 002 OF 002 "referees", including civil and religious leaders, to prevent it. He said the EC must declare the election results before the government or political parties to promote confidence in the process. Deegbe added that the Christian Council will urge member churches to participate in voter education and election monitoring, and to seek practical solutions to accommodate a Sunday election. (NOTE: The December 7 election day falls on a Sunday this year, which has prompted calls from Christian leaders to change the election date so as not to interfere with churchgoers, or cause logistical difficulties since many churches serve as polling stations. Deegbe said the Christian Council is in discussions with the EC to identify a solution. The EC has publicly stated that election day will remain December 7. END NOTE) ¶6. (U) Commenting further on the role of the Electoral Commission, Peter Fiamor, Research Officer with the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG),told Poloff that the EC's dispute resolution capacity remains untested, and that the judiciary and political parties must also play a strong role in mediating conflict. Fiamor noted that the media's role in civil society is advancing, pointing to an increase in serious investigative reporting and a focus on substantive issues. ¶7. (U) Dr. Boadi also said that civil society must collaborate to mediate election conflict. CDD plans to join forces with other domestic election observers and establish a coalition as a counterforce to political parties. CDD Research Officer Kojo Pumpuni Asante said such a coalition will be essential for publicly certifying election results as free and fair and muting political party protests. However, he does not view the recently established National Peace Council as an effective convener of civil society, stating it lacks sufficient capacity and credibility. Asante also said that promoting adequate media access to all parties is essential to leveling the playing field and reducing perceptions that the ruling party is abusing its power. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: The concerns raised over the EC's limited ability to resolve election-related disputes, and the need for the EC to act transparently (such as through the regular convening of IPAC meetings, something that has not taken place during the past year), are serious and could have an impact on the perceived credibility of the 2008 elections. With the election likely to be close amidst a highly polarized political environment, these civil society groups can play a critical role in ensuring that the campaign and election plays out peacefully and that potential conflicts are identified and defused early. End Comment. BRIDGEWATER