Earlier this month, the house of Ghanaian presidential candidate Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo was attacked.
The United States embassy in Ghana condemned the assault, saying “violence has no place in the electoral process.” In the period leading up to and following Ghana’s elections on December 7, the United States calls on all actors to remain peaceful and respect the democratic process.
The United States does not support a particular candidate or a particular party. “We support democracy,” said the U.S. embassy statement, “We will continue to work with the freely elected government of Ghana, just as we always have.”
The United States urges all parties to make clear to their constituents that any violence or attempts to use intimidation to disrupt the democratic process is unacceptable.
This will be the country’s seventh poll since the return to multi-party democracy in 1992.
President John Dramani Mahama is running on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress for a second term. Five other candidates qualified to run for the presidency.
Ghanaians from across the political spectrum have worked hard to build one of the leading democracies in Africa. State Department Press Office Director Elizabeth Trudeau said, “We specifically call on candidates, their parties, and their supporters to reaffirm their pledges to renounce violence and settle any disputes through the judicial process.”
