The Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary- General and Head of the UN Office (UNOWAS) for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simao, has said this year's general election will be a serious test of the strength of Ghana's 30-year-old democratic process. "This is because the elections are being organised in an environment marked by regional security challenges, misinformation and disinformation that spread quickly on social media, and the erosion of political enthusiasm among the youth," he explained.The envoy said socio-economic hardships; rising inflammatory statements and hate speech by some members of the public also contributed to the challenges facing the electoral process.Mr Simao made the remarks at the opening of a day's stakeholders forum to promote a peaceful 2024 general election in Ghana, organised by the National Peace Council (NPC) with support from the UN in Ho, last Thursday.About 80 participants, made up of traditional rulers, representatives of political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, state institutions, trade unions and the judiciary attended the forum, which was on the theme: 'Building trust for peaceful elections'.The forum, which presented the participants with the opportunity to dialogue on critical issues pertaining to the conduct of peaceful elections, is the fourth in the series after those held in Tamale, Kumasi and Cape Coast.
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