Mr. Mac Manu, the honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa (DUA), will be joining the Election Observer Mission of the International Democratic Union (IDU).

This comes after he was denied entry into Kenya to observe the East African Country’s elections in August.

“Hon Peter Mac Manu will observe some of the rallies and also have firsthand experience on how the Germans’ conduct their political rallies in recent times. Further, Mr. Mac Manu would have the opportunity to tour some polling stations across some of the 299 voting districts to observe voting conduct in Munich voting district,” A statemetn from the DUA said.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel is seeking re-election for the fourth time on the ticket of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU),

Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is her main opponent in the election.

Find below  the full statement

MAC MANU TO OBSERVE GERMAN 2017 GENERAL ELECTION

Peter Mac Manu, Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa (DUA), an affiliate of the International Democratic Union (IDU), joins, the Election Observer Mission of IDU to witness the Germany’s elections to the Bundestag scheduled for Sunday, 24th September 2017. Mr. Mac Manu is also former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its 2016 National Campaign Manager for Ghana’s Presidential/ Parliamentary elections.

Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel is seeking re-election for the 4th time leading the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the CSU in a coalition with Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) as her main opponent. Other parties include the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the left’s Alternative for German (AfD) which is led by Sahra Wagenknecht and Dietmar Bartsch.

The elections are taking place in all the 299 voting districts across the country. The German’s electoral architecture is transparent and analog – voters are only allowed to vote with pen and paper and not with digital voting machines. All counting takes place by hand in the 70,000 or so voting locations and counting is open to the public.

Hon Peter Mac Manu will observe some of the rallies and also have firsthand experience on how the Germans’ conduct their political rallies in recent times. Further, Mr. Mac Manu would have the opportunity to tour some polling stations across some of the 299 voting districts to observe voting conduct in Munich voting district.

Final results of the German elections are expected to be announced by midnight of Sunday, 24th September 2017. The party or the coalition bloc that win the most seats in the Bundestag will have the mandate to form government.

It is our hope that lessons learnt from the observation will help shape and increase our understanding of campaigning, electoral processes and benefit Ghana’s electoral reforms.

…Signed…

Hon Charles Owiredu

Secretary General

DUA

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonnline.com/Ghana

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This dismissal followed murmurs that Mr. Mac Manu, and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which he is a member, planned to meddle in the election and support the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, to create a parallel election tally result platform.

[contextly_sidebar id=”edUP12t3n1dy9KawnkxhCoYtVkYBHOqY”]The Democratic Union of Africa is noted as an umbrella body of centre-right parties in Africa, which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.

As Kenyan’s queue in polls to choose between President Uhuru Kenyatta his long-standing rival Raila Odinga, government, in a statement, denied any ploy to compromise the polls and said Mr. Mac Manu was in Kenya on his own accord, not the State’s.

“We wish to make it clear the government of Ghana has no interest whatsoever in who emerges the winner in Tuesday’s poll. The decision as to who leads Kenya for the next four years as President remains the sole preserve of the Kenyan people.”

“The Ghanaian Constitution guarantees every citizen of Ghana the freedom to participate in political activity inside or outside of the country, within the laws of Ghana or wherever they find themselves. They do so in their own capacity as free citizens of a free state, and not at the behest of the government of Ghana.”

NPP denies ill intent

The NPP earlier came out to deny similar allegations, with the party’s Deputy General Secretary, Nana Obiri Boahene positing that Mr. Mac Manu’s deportation was a serious indication that things were not well with the country’s polls.

“They said they will not allow Peter Mac Manu to go there and it is a serious indication that things are not going on well. How do you accuse the NPP in Ghana that they want to rig the elections? This primitive way of handling matters ongoing in Kenya, we need to be serious about it.”

Kenya’s National Super Alliance (NASA) however explained that Mr. Mac Manu was not the only individual who was denied entry into Kenya as some representatives from the United States suffered a similar fate.

“This should be seen in the context of an operation that they were carrying yesterday not just in this national centre but everywhere. They were removed from the plane, they did not formally disembark from the plane, they were taken away by the Police and pushed into another plane back to Ghana,” the Chief Agent of Kenya’s National Super Alliance, James Orengo explained.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Reports of the NPP’s alleged involvement was captured in some media outlets in Kenya following the deportation of the party’s Campaign Manager of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the just ended 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, Peter Mac Manu over the weekend.

Mac Manu was said to be leading a team of Democratic Union of Africa (DUA) International Observers to Kenya’s General Elections to be held on August 8, 2017.

Agents of Kenya’s ruling party alleged the NPP was supporting the opposition leader Raila Odinga to create a parallel election tally result platform, just like it did in the December elections in Ghana.

But the Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahene said those allegations are false.

In an interview with Citi News, he said Mac Manu’s presence in the East African country had no influence on the upcoming polls.

“They said they will not allow Peter Mac Manu to go there and it is a serious indication that things are not going on well. How do you accuse the NPP in Ghana that they want to rig the elections? This primitive way of handling matters ongoing in Kenya, we need to be serious about it.”

Meanwhile, former President, John Dramani Mahama is leading a 15-member Commonwealth Observer Group to monitor and report on the August 08, 2017 election.

Incumbent President, Uhuru Kenyatta, who beat Raila Odinga in the previous election to become president, is facing a stiff competition from Odinga again to retain power.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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In a Citi News interview, Dr. Antwi Danso neither condemned nor condoned Kenya’s actions, stating that, the tenets of diplomacy allowed any country to take such decisions at its discretion.

[contextly_sidebar id=”eSeIgpM6sgu5H7XfKjwmzaL2Fmq1bje8″]“They [Kenya] invite who they want and disallow who they don’t want. It’s a bonafide right… It is an accepted norm in diplomacy. You look at the thing and think it will disturb your security, your political structure so you don’t want it… He is a persona non-grata so I won’t allow him entry. Period… I cannot say they did right or didn’t do right”, he said.

He believes no one should attempt subjecting Kenya’s actions to a legitimacy test and if Ghana is unhappy about Mr. Mac Manu being denied entry into the East African country, it is at liberty to retaliate “and if the retaliation comes to the worst, break off diplomatic relations.”

Mr. Mac Manu was to lead a team of election observers from the Democratic Union of Africa into Kenya in the run up to that country’s election, slated for August 8.

He was however denied access into the country on  grounds that he is an Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa, an umbrella body of  centre and centre- right parties in Africa which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.

He has since returned to Ghana.

Meanwhile Chief Agent Kenyan’s National Super Alliance (NASA), James Orengo has revealed that the 2016 NPP National Campaign Manager, Peter Mac Manu and one other compatriot were arrested and deported as soon as they arrived in Kenya.

Earlier reports from Kenya had suggested Mr. Manu’s denial was linked to his role as Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa, an umbrella body of centre- right parties in Africa which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.

Mr. Orengo however denied these claims, saying other representatives from the United States suffered a similar fate.

“This should be seen in the context of an operation that they were carrying yesterday. Not just in this national centre but everywhere They were removed from the plane, they did not formally disembark from the plane, they were taken away by the Police and pushed into another plane back to Ghana.

“We had also friends from Canada and United States. Both of them in sharing their experiences said the Police invaded their apartment where they were living and one of them was molested and thrown away into the bush”

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By: Marie-Franz Fordjoe/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to Mr. Orengo, other representatives from the United States also suffered a similar fate.

[contextly_sidebar id=”J8EoKAERlnJJrLNgiyjILttEGs5STLEb”]Earlier reports from Kenya had suggested Mr. Manu’s denial was linked to his role as Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa, an umbrella body of centre-right parties in Africa which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.

Mr. Orengo, however, denied these claims, saying it was a general operation that affected agents from the United States too.

“This should be seen in the context of an operation that they were carrying yesterday not just in this national centre but everywhere.They were removed from the plane, they did not formally disembark from the plane, they were taken away by the Police and pushed into another plane back to Ghana.

“We had also friends from Canada and United States. Both of them in sharing their experiences said the Police invaded their apartment where they were living and one of them was molested and thrown away into the bush.”

As the debate on whether Peter Mac Manu and others were treated fairly rages, an International Relations Analyst, Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso has said that Kenya simply exercised its sovereign rights by refusing Peter Mac Manu entry into the country.

In a Citi News interview, Dr. Antwi Danso neither condemned nor condoned Kenya’s actions, stating that, the tenets of diplomacy allows any country to take these decisions at its discretion.

“They [Kenya] invite who they want and disallow who they don’t want. It’s a bonafide right… It is an accepted norm in diplomacy. You look at the thing and think it will disturb your security, your political structure so you don’t want it… He is a persona non-grata so I won’t allow him entry. Period… I cannot say they did right or didn’t do right”, he said.

Over 150 International Observers have been given accreditation to observe the elections in the country.

The presidential election has 18 candidates with the notable ones being incumbent President Uhuru Kenyata of Jubilee Coalition and Raila Odinga of Nasa Coalition.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Mr Mac Manu was leading a team of election observers from the Democratic Union of Africa into Kenya in the run up to that country’s election, scheduled for August 8^th.

Reports from Kenya indicate, his denial is linked to his role as Honorary Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa, an umbrella body of centre- right parties in Africa which includes some opposition parties in Kenya.

Mr Mac Manu is expected back in Ghana, later today.

Mahama leads Commonwealth election observers to Kenya

President Mahama , on the other hand is leading a 15-member delegation from the Commonwealth nations to observe the upcoming general elections in Kenya.

Over the past year, the electoral process in that country has been marred by violence.

While speaking in Nairobi, President Mahama who is the Chairman of the Commonwealth Observers group promised that his team will be transparent and impartial in their endeavours.

“We are aware of the significance of these elections to the people of Kenya, the region and the global community. Our presence here affirms the support of the Commonwealth to Kenya and its democratic processes. We make a commitment that our observation role will be undertaken with impartiality, independence and transparency,” he said.

John Maham said the group comprised of eminent persons drawn from across the different regions of the Commonwealth, including Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Pacific who “bring a wealth of experience from across the social and political spectrum including civil society, women’s and youth groups, human rights organisations and the media.”

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“If you look around Ivory Coast what happened to him [Gbagbo] when he refused to cede power, his wife as well as his special aide who was causing trouble, are all languishing in prison, so the NDC and John Mahama must take a lesson from that to cede power to guarantee peace in the country,” Mac Manu added.

He said this at the launch of the party’s ‘Adopt a polling station’ campaign in Koforidua yesterday [Saturday].

[contextly_sidebar id=”wRZRIDGqKzqfErihPxCYbAVKt3TgALFp”]The adopt a polling station campaign is an initiative by the opposition NPP to empower its members and sympathizers to be vigilant and ensure that ballot boxes are protected at the polling stations on the Election Day.

So far the party has launched the initiative in the Western, Central, Ashanti and Eastern Regions.

Mac Manu at the launch of the initiative allayed fears that, the party cannot protect the votes at the polling station, and said the ‘adopt a polling station’ campaign is one of several ways the party is using to protect votes at the polling station level.

He said the party is greatly concerned about the activities at the various polling centres and they are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that party agents are properly resourced during the elections.

“Nobody should be afraid, some people are inquiring from me, the fact that NDC may rig the election or may not cede power should they lose, let me assure you, that is not going to happen,” he said.

He explained that since the launch of the campaign about a month ago, “the enthusiasm has been good, we need more people, we need to protect the over 28,000 polling stations and if we do that, Mahama can never say he won’t accept defeat, he will go.”

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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonoline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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