NDI and IRI Field Joint Delegation to Assess Ghana’s Pre-Election Environment

Accra, Ghana – The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) will field a joint delegation to assess preparations for Ghana’s December 7, 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.

The delegation includes regional and election experts from North America and Africa, namely: Ambassador (retired) Johnnie Carson, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and NDI board member; Mike Avwenayeri Igini, former Resident Electoral Commissioner for Nigeria’s Cross River and Edo States; Oby Ezekwesili, Senior Advisor, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative; Gabrielle Bardall, Scholar and Democracy Assistance Specialist for the Trudeau Foundation; Christopher Fomunyoh, Senior Associate and Regional Director for Central and West Africa, NDI; and John Tomaszewski, Regional Director for Africa, IRI.

The purpose of the mission is to support Ghana’s ability to deliver credible and peaceful elections in 2016. The delegation will meet with members of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, presidential candidates, political party leaders, members of parliament, civil society representatives and journalists, and will present its findings at a press conference in Accra on Friday, August 12.

“We look forward to open discussions that will help foster consensus building around concrete steps that should be taken to ensure a credible poll in December,” said Ambassador Johnnie Carson.

About NDI

The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government. Over the past 25 years, NDI has conducted more than 150 election observation missions in 62 countries. NDI has worked closely with Ghanaian civic and political organizations since 1992 to support the development of the country’s democratic institutions and promote transparency and integrity of the electoral process through advanced techniques in election monitoring. For more information, visit www.ndi.org.

About IRI

A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, the International Republican Institute (IRI) advances freedom and democracy worldwide by helping political parties to become more responsive, strengthening transparent and accountable governance, and working to increase the role of marginalized groups in the political process – including women and youth. Since 1983, IRI has monitored 204 elections in 57 countries through international observation missions and assessments. In Ghana, IRI has partnered with civic organizations such as the John A. Kufuor Foundation to empower young Africans to be strong leaders in their respective countries, and strengthen their commitment to democratic governance. IRI also continues to support the conduct of peaceful elections through inter-faith dialogue and youth engagement. For more information, visit www.iri.org.