Edward Amoako Asante calls for urgent reflection to save democracy

2023-11-24 00:50:04

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Judge Edward Amaoko Asante

The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice calls for urgent reflection to save democracy in the sub-region

The President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, the Honorable Ghanaian Judge, Edward Amoako Asante, has called for urgent reflection on the region’s nascent democracy in order to take steps to put an end to the bad examples illustrated by the bad governance, the inability to reap the dividends of democracy, the injustices linked to elections and the quests for unconstitutional extension of mandate.
In a message addressed at the opening of the second ordinary session of the fifth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, Justice Asante linked these shortcomings to the “creeping incursion of the military into the politics of the region”, which is a demonstration of the “deficiency of our policy”.
These protests, he added, should “challenge us to reflect on the trajectory of our democracy and determine whether it has the effectiveness and capacity to ensure good governance that meets social needs. -economic of our people.
“It is undeniable that unless appropriate steps are taken to halt the creeping military incursion into our politics, democracy is under threat, with implications for institutions such as parliaments and courts of law, which calls for collective action,” he stressed.
The President noted that it was in recognition of the threat posed by these incursions to the region’s nascent democracy that necessitated the Court’s decision to focus the theme of its 2023 conference, held in May 2023 in The Gambia, on ECOWAS’ zero tolerance for unconstitutional changes of government.

Judge Asanté asks the ECOWAS parliament to take leadership of this reflection

“The ECOWAS Parliament provides an appropriate forum at the regional level to continue this conversation by revisiting the debate on the particularities of our democracy which has been optimistically presented as the panacea to ensure the socio-economic growth and development of our people in order to to equip them for a competitive international economic environment,” said the President of the Court of Justice to the ECOWAS Parliament. Despite the current challenges to the region’s democratic progress, Justice Asante acknowledged that it remains the best form of government that requires the collective effort of leaders and their supporters to function.
He therefore urged the ECOWAS parliament to provide the necessary leadership to undertake the necessary engagement through national parliaments to challenge the current democratic culture in the sub-region. This, he added, “will require reforms that will bring about improvements in our democratic systems in order to put an end to this creeping encroachment of the military into our democratic space.” Assuring that the ECOWAS Court of Justice will play its complementary role in consolidating the region’s democracy as a community institution whose mandate contributes to strengthening respect for human rights, accountability and political stability .
He therefore encouraged Parliament to take the necessary measures, in collaboration with national parliaments, to ensure the transparent application of the Court’s decisions by Member States in order to strengthen Community law and respect for human rights, transparency and accountability.
He also called on Parliament to take the lead in ensuring that member states internalize a culture of democracy, rule of law and good governance, adopt preventive measures for strict compliance and help states to commit to establishing ideals and strengthening agreed international protocols that promote respect for the rule of law. In addition, they should also strengthen the means of resolving electoral disputes.
Finally, Justice Asante suggested that Parliament help States to appropriate the principles of convergence of the region as contained in the Additional Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.

Hugues Elphège Patinvoh