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The Pentecostal and Charismatic Council of Ghana, in collaboration with Star-Ghana and the office of the National Chief Imam, has organized a one-day peace rally at Bawku in the Upper East Region towards peaceful elections in Ghana. The rally attracted representatives from political parties, the Electoral Commission, the National Commission for Civic Education, faith based organisations security agencies, civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations. They marched through the principal streets of Bawku amidst brass band music carrying placards some of which read, �No Violence, No War, No Insults, No Bloodletting.� Addressing the gathering, the Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Evangelist Jimmy Markin, who read a speech on behalf of the President of GPCC, Apostle Opoku Onyinah, said the build-up to every election was characterized by tension, which sometimes resulted in violence and deaths. �These violence and deaths affect all Ghanaians, irrespective of religion or ethnicity. As faith-based organization, we recognize it as part of our God-given mandate to lead our institutions and communities to stem the incidence of violence and mitigate the impact of such violence on individuals and communities.� He said the national executive council of GPCC, in its efforts to seek sustainable peace in the country, had put forth a programme known as �Peace, Love, Unity and Stability in Ghana (PLUS).� The rationale of this programme, he said, was to facilitate a peaceful atmosphere in the run-up, during and after the presidential and parliamentary elections. Evangelist Markin said the programme sought to educate people to understand the various stages of the electoral process such as political campaigns, voting and counting of ballots, declaration of results and post-election transition. He said the GPCC would also urge the leadership of political parties to be responsive to issues of insults which had the tendency to breed conflicts, violence, war and bloodletting which could draw the country backwards. He appealed to the youth to learn to respect the rule of law, be disciplined, exercise responsible behavior and character and develop the moral strength and courage to keep away from politicians who would like to use them for their selfish ends. He called on the media to endeavour to be circumspect in their reportage since they played a central role in the success or failure of the electoral process and encouraged the security agencies to continue to maintain law without fear or favour. He also appealed to the EC to be vigilant in the discharge of its mandate.