The National Peace Council is appealing to political parties to resort to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to address differences other than violence.

The council believes political parties subscribing to conflict resolutions will go a long way in preventing violence during elections.

Speaking during a meeting with leaders of various political parties, the Chairperson of the Conflict Resolution Committee of the Peace Council, Joana Adzoa Opare indicated that it is important to adopt these mechanisms to deepen the democratic process and preserve the unity of the country.

“We also wish to admonish all political parties to use internal party procedures in addressing intra-party challenges at all times. The council believes this will go a long way to even enhance Ghana’s image in the democratic space.”

“As you are all aware, the 2020 elections recorded some violent incidents and deaths. It is the conviction of the National Peace Council that a meeting like this will create the platform to fraternize continuous engagements and strengthening strategic partnerships in the political parties towards sustainable peace of Ghana”, she said.

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Aseidu Nketiah bemoaned the lack of prosecution of persons found to have engaged in electoral violence.

“As we keep repeating, if punishments are not meted out then it goes on to encourage other people to find means of retribution in subsequent elections. So we think that, the way to peace is to ensure that wrongdoers are punished not in a selective way but everyone who has done something wrong ought to be identified and punished. It is our hope that state actors are pressed upon to do what is required of them so that together we can work towards the peace of this country.”

On his part, the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Stephen Ayensu Ntim emphasized the need to ensure peaceful co-existence among various political parties ahead of the elections.

“If we go through the next election peacefully as usual, it will lead to peaceful co-existence among the political parties and that is what we seek to achieve with the rest of the parties and the Peace Council.”