AU urges Ghanaians to trust in Afari-Gyan's integrity

Accra, Dec. 30, GNA - The African Union (AU) Observer Mission in Ghana on Tuesday appealed to Ghanaians to be patient and to trust in the integrity of Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), to uphold the will of the electorate.

Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, Leader of the Mission, told journalists that "to the extent that none of the political parties have ever questioned the integrity of the Chairman of the EC, it is important for Ghanaians to wait patiently for his final announcement of the results.

"Whatever the final results may be, the outcome will be very close and the winner must, therefore, acknowledge that there is a huge constituency of Ghanaians who do not support him," he said.

He, therefore, called on the eventual winner of the election to foster national cohesion and accommodate the loser and his followers in his scheme of things for the common good of the

country. "The loser must also be forthcoming with support for the winner

to ensure peace, harmony and good governance," he said. Dr Salim noted that even though the December 28 runoff election

was closely contested and full of tension, it was generally peaceful

and orderly, similar to the first round on December 7. He said the success of the election had made Ghana a shining

example of democracy on the Continent. Dr Salim commended the electorate, the security services and the

EC for conducting themselves in a manner that had resulted in a very

successful election, saying that the AU would leave Ghana with a

very positive image about the country and its people. He observed the accusations and counter-accusations that the

two contesting political parties were trading among themselves ahead

of the final declaration of the result and admonished them not to do

anything to erode the credibility of the elections. "As observers we are not here to interfere but I must say that it is

rather unfortunate the way the two parties are making allegations and

counter-allegation," he said. Dr Salim expressed the hope that "when all is said and done"

Ghana would continue to remain the beacon of hope for the

consolidation of democracy on the Continent.