The sudden demise of Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings

Written By Nana Osei Anto-Piesie - Ghanaians and the world over woke up on Thursday, November 12, 2020, to hear of the shocking and unbelievable news of the passing of one of the greatest leaders of our time, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. The sudden death of a great leader, inspirer, mentor and pacesetter, especially on the heels of a few weeks after burying his demised centenarian mother, came as an unsuspecting bullet which rammed through the silent forest. As a young soldier, he successfully led and prosecuted two revolutions that have, in no doubt, left indelible marks in the sand of time in terms of bringing an end to persistent military coup d’états to establish a democratic system that has lasted almost 30 years. His passion for probity, accountability, transparency and social justice dates back to his days at Achimota College where he always stood to defend the defenseless. In fact, throughout his military, public and revolutionary lives, such virtues that laid the foundations of nation-building were never lost on him.

To worsen matters, rebel groups are operating in various parts of the Northern sector of the country making it extremely difficult for peace to prevail. Thus, as a country, ...

ECOWAS meeting in Accra to find solution to political crisis in Mali

The political crisis in Mali following the seizure of power by the military is quite worrying. It creates a condition of insecurity and uncertainty in the life of that country. During the consultative meeting in Accra, all sides to the conflict together with stakeholders in the sub-region came up with frank discussions from various viewpoints as a way of ensuring a peaceful return to constitutional rule. The military junta wants to rule the country for three years before handing over power to civilian rule. Other stakeholders to the meeting are of the view that as much as possible the country needs to return to civilian rule without any further delay. It is therefore expected that the ECOWAS chair with the support of other sub-regional leaders will be able to strike a deal with the military leaders so as to ensure peace in Mali.

Political unrests in Mali began to mount following the re-election of President Keita in 2018. Opposition parties cited massive voting irregularities in the presidential election which recorded low turn-outs.

Political Crisis In Mali And ECOWAS Decisions

Written By Dr Ebenezer Ashley - In recent weeks, tens of thousands of people paraded the streets of Bamako in Mali to demand the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The protesters were believed to have been mobilized by an influential Muslim leader, Mahmoud Dicko under the auspices of the June 5 Movement – Rally of Patriotic Forces. The Rally of Patriotic Forces is a coalition of leaders from disparate civil society, social and political groups in the country. On Friday, 24th July this year, leaders of Ghana, Cote d’ivoire Nigeria, Senegal and Niger from the ECOWAS bloc held talks with the Malian President Ibrahim Keita and key figures of the opposition protest movement to broker peace.

Interest in the manifestos of political party has generated to fever pitch this year because most political parties had hitherto taken the electorate for granted and not fulfilled most promises they give in their manifestos.

Party Manifestos And Whether They Influence Voting Pattern

Written By Justice Mingle - The die is cast and the biggest opposition party, the NDC has launched its manifesto for the 2020 general election. This comes at the back of a similar event by the ruling party, NPP. The launch therefore gives the electorate the opportunity to assess the political party with the right message and policies to take the country out of the quagmire it finds itself. Analysts have tried on numerous occasions to explain the recent craze of the Ghanaian to look at political party manifestos because this was not the case from time immemorial. A manifesto it must be explained is a published declaration of the intentions, motives or plans of the publisher. It plays a crucial role in the vision of party democracy and political science analysis of party competition.