Africa must heal weak and corrupt electoral systems

Donald Senanu Agumenu, Special Assistant to Former President Jerry Rawlings

Dr Donald Senanu Agumenu, Special Assistant to Former President Jerry Rawlings, called on African countries to take diligent action to address weak and corrupt systems in Africa.

“If we are to be successful, deliberate hook or crook efforts must be put in place to heal weak and corrupt electoral systems as well as any semblance of injustice to subjugate and subvert the will of the people. Good electoral reforms must promote fairness and peace, ”said Dr Agumenu.

He added: “The situation in Guinea should not only serve as a lesson, but also as a brutal realization that the best barometer of good leadership is the people we govern.

In a telephone interview with the Ghanaian News Agency (GNA), in the aftermath of the military coup in Guinea and the plan to return the country to constitutional rule, the former special assistant to the late former President Rawlings said congratulated the Guinean military junta for its frankness in returning the country to constitutional rule.

The interview was in reaction to a framework released by the junta led by Mamady Doumbouya which prohibits all members of the army from participating in the transition process as well as standing for election.

Dr Agumenu said it was refreshing that a very strategic step had been taken in honor of true democracy.

He noted, however, that as African nations strove to strengthen institutions, including regional and continental bodies, there was a need to carry out a holistic assessment of ECOWAS and AU interventions in human rights affairs. Member States.

Dr Agumenu, who is also secretary general of the Youth Federation for World Peace, noted that the response of regional bodies to the problems in Guinea seemed reactionary instead of preventive measures.

However, he congratulated the military for their cooperation in restoring the hope of the people and the spirit of the constitution and that of international treaties.

Dr Agumenu said he was closely following the actions of the junta from the start of the takeover, and observed that their latest public announcement demonstrates some willingness to work with key regional blocs such as ECOWAS to bring democracy and lasting peace in Guinea.

He also congratulated ECOWAS “for having clearly put in place a post-Alpha Condé framework to put Guinea back on the path to democracy and lasting peace.

“Looking at the recommendations, it was explicit that the regional body is ready to work with the Guinean people on the path to constitutional rule without former President Alpha Condé. “

Dr Agumenu, who is also a strategic leadership consultant, said the day-to-day political framework of the military junta and strategic directions in the context of broader consultations with all facets of Guinean society were a sure guarantee that the process of democracy will be owned and managed by all.

Guinea was plunged into political uncertainty on September 5, 2021, when the country’s special forces overthrew President Alpha Condé.

The Special Forces, led by French legionnaire Mamady Doumbouya, cited corruption, bad governance, poverty and human rights violations for their intervention. President Alpha Condé, 83, has also drawn the wrath of the Guinean people for having tinkered with the Guinean Constitution in order to run for a third term.

ECOWAS and the African Union reacted quickly by suspending Guinea’s membership and calling for a return to democratic civilian rule.

After weeks of consultations, the military junta today released a framework allowing all groups in Guinean society to present representatives to form a transitional government with a civilian prime minister. The statement demanded that members of the government be 30 percent represented by women.

These representatives will function as a makeshift parliament and chart the clear course for a new constitution and new elections. The statement also bans all members of the military junta from participating in the process and standing for election.

Mamady Doumbouya will remain acting ceremonial president during the transition process.