Kandifo Institute, an economic, governance, and leadership think tank has launched the Ghana Election Watch Website to help shape the voting decision of the citizenry.
This project is aimed at educating and informing electorates on the analysis of proposed plans and policies as well as electoral data of all the political parties in the country.
This way, the electorate can make an informed decision on who to vote for on election days beginning with the forthcoming December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary polls.
Launching the website yesterday in Accra, the Executive Director of the Kandifo Institute, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, noted the importance of an election in every facet of society, hence the creation of the website.
In his view, it is imperative for both the young and the elderly to be reminded of how far the country has come through meaningful elections and in turn foster their future going forward.
He said Ghana’s democratic system became stable since 1996 after almost a 12-year military rule and therefore maturing from a “fledgling democracy” to become a beacon has matured for many countries in the continent.
“Despite the many successes achieved since the return to multiparty democracy, the values of the country may plunge into the gutters if the discourse is not properly steered,” he said.
“For instance, proposed policies and its impact are often shelved by the major political parties and the tendency to engage in personality cult wars as well as unnecessary agitations, detracts from the need to interrogate manifestoes,” Mr Boakye-Danquah added.
The Kandifo Institute boss therefore maintained that the project is a non-partisan vital tool in providing essential election related information and news to people.
Mr Boakye-Danquah further urged all political parties to be part of the initiative as it is an all-inclusive affair for Ghana.
Engaging political manifestos
For the Board Member of Kandifo Institute, Dr Kodjo Mensah-Abrampa, noted that election data cannot be played with especially the various political parties manifesto.
He was satisfied that his outfit has done that through the launch of the website which is data oriented.
“We need to engage the manifestos because when you do that, you’ll see what the respective political parties have for you. It will bring to fore factual discourse and this is what Kandifo has been able to establish,” he said
The portal
The portal, http://ghanaelectionwatch.com/, has information on Ghanaian elections from 1951 to 2020 with sections for manifestos.
The website is expected to serve as a watchtower for enhancing accountability, transparency and credibility before, during and after election.
It is also expected to provide a platform where electorates can participate in credible opinion polls, share their views through various online applications on the upcoming elections; furnish young people and first-time voters with credible and useful information about Ghana’s Elections, since 1951.
