The defacement of posters belonging to political party featured prominently in the 2012 general election-risk incidents, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) being the worst casualty, suffering 42 percent involving 1,729 posters.
Ernest Ansah Lartey of Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), said even though the defacement occurred in all the 10 regions, a lot of it happened in the Volta Region.
He added that of the 40 constituencies monitored, 66 percent, representing 26 constituencies, recorded various forms of poster defacement, including tearing (40 percent), scraping (25 percent), plastering (21 percent) and painting (14percent).
He disclosed that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) also had a total of 1,463 posters of its candidates, representing 36 percent, defaced, while independent candidates constituted 16 percent involving 640 posters.
Defaced posters belonging to parliamentary candidates were relatively more than 61 percent and those belonging to the presidential candidates, were 39 percent.
�This takes account of independent candidates who were not successful at their party parliamentary primaries,� he noted at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development�s (CDD�s) �Experience Sharing Workshop� in Kumasi.
According to Mr Lartey, a total of 416 risk-indicator incidents, made up physical harm, property damage, group clashes, shooting, intimidation, and threat of violence, electoral protest and intemperate language among others, were recorded across the 40 constituencies from October 15, 2012 to January 15, 2013.
KAIPTC officer stated that the stronghold and swing constituencies together recorded more than three quarters (77 percent) of defaced posters in particular.
�They both shared almost the same percentages (38percent and 39 percent respectively),� he pointed out.
He mentioned some of the constituencies as Bimbilla, Yapei-Kusawgu, Chereponi in the Northern Region, Jirapa, Sissala East, Wa East in the Upper West Region, and Bolgatanga, Bongo, Kassena-Nanakana West in the Upper East Region.
Mr Lartey asserted that 57.7 percent of the total incidents occurred in the pre-election period with defacement of posters and abuse of campaign as well as publicity materials being the most frequent.
He said the CDD/OSIWA conflict monitoring and intervention for peace project for the 2012 also revealed that 125 incidents, representing 30 percent, were recorded during the election period and 51, representing 12.2 percent, were recorded for post-election period.
CDD Programme Officer, P.K. Aborampah Mensah, who gave the overview, said the monitoring project was aimed at minimizing violence before, during and after elections in Ghana.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi
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