President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has emphasized the importance of accepting election outcomes gracefully in his 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered on February 27.
According to him losing an election and conceding defeat by congratulating the winner will not cause the world to an end.
“A lot of responsibility lies on the political parties as well, and I hope that the parties recognise that their credibility is also on the line, with some people wanting to undermine the multi-party democratic system of government.
“It is up to the parties to demonstrate that competitive elections are an honourable, character-enhancing experience, and, at the end of the process, the loser will congratulate the winner, and the world does not come to an end because an election has been lost,” he said.
Akufo-Addo emphasized the need for a clean and fair election in the December 2024 polls.
He stressed the role of free and credible polls in building public confidence in the government.
He acknowledged the responsibility shared by the Electoral Commission, political parties, and the government in ensuring a smooth electoral process.
Addressing concerns about potential electoral violence, Akufo-Addo urged political parties to uphold the integrity of the multi-party democratic system.
“There is nothing inherently dirty or corrupt about politics, and nothing about elections that should generate violence. We, who are in politics and we who are members of political parties, owe it to ourselves, the institutions we claim to belong to, and, above all, we owe it to Ghana and the people of Ghana to make politics and elections the serious and joyful phenomenon they should be.
“In discharging their responsibility, I urge the Electoral Commission to work with the political parties to iron out whatever problems there might be, and I am happy that the Electoral Commission, after engaging the parties, has shelved plans to change the 7th December date.
“Politics, after all, has been described as the art of the possible, and, if that is what we are engaged in, it should not be beyond us to resolve the problems that come up, and concentrate on working to build the happy and prosperous country we want,” he added.
