Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), Mrs. Jean Mensah has commended Ghana for successfully sustaining her democratic structures since 1992.
Addressing a gathering at a roundtable meeting between political party leaders from various African countries, Mrs. Jean Mensah noted that Ghana has over the years strengthened her democracy even in times of difficulty and politically turbulent circumstances.
According to her, the nation has prevented any democratic relapse since the country returned to constitutional rule and multi-party democracy and further made strides through interparty dialogue.
Mrs. Jean Mensah showered praises on the country when a 15-member delegation from Zimbabwe, Uganda and Kenya paid a visit to Ghana on Tuesday July 7 to learn and share knowledge and experiences with their Ghanaian counterparts on interparty dialogue.
In her welcome address, Mrs. Mensah recounted some achievements by successive governments in Ghana towards the consolidation of democracy.
She opined that "multi-party democracy cannot thrive anywhere in the world without interparty dialogue...As Ghanaians, we have come to understand that democracy consolidation is not a product but a process; a journey, not a destination. It is necessary to emphasize that Ghana has not achieved perfection.
"However, we can be proud of the few successes we have achieved as a country. Ghana has earned a reputation and justifiably so, as a beacon of hope and a shining example of democracy in a troubled region. Since 1992, Ghana has organized six Presidential and Parliamentary elections."
She also stated that as part of initiatives to enhance Ghana's democracy, a Presidential Transition Act was drafted and passed.
"This Act seeks to regulate the transfer of political power from one democratically elected government to the next. Before this time Ghana did not have in place guidelines to ensure the transfer of power from a democratically elected government to another and the first real transfer in 2008 was characterized by rancor, tension and acrimony."
She advised political party leaders to continue interact in a cordial but competitive atmosphere to foster peace and national cohesion.
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