On Monday, 18th March 2024, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo opened the Second Session of the Reflection Forum on Unconstitutional Changes of Government in Accra.
The event was organised by the African Union Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security, and Peace and Security Council.
President Akufo-Addo indicated that the Accra Declaration ( the Heads of State and Government of the African Union) expresses effectively “our commitment to address comprehensively the underlying drivers of unconstitutional changes of governments, particularly the aspects of governance deficits, and the manipulation of democratic processes, including tampering with electoral laws, constitutional provisions, and term limits with the goal of benefiting at the expense of democratic norms and principles.”
The AU also appeals to Member States to respect their respective Constitutions, especially adherence to presidential term limits, and to organise free, fair, transparent and credible elections in line with national laws and international norms, as well as respecting the outcomes of elections.
Aside reflections on the state of unconstitutional changes of governments, President Akufo-Addo also touched on the ongoing war in Sudan, which he said is a consequence of 25th October 2021, that led to the resignation of the transitional Prime Minister Hamdock and charged the AU Department of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security to work closely with ECOWAS to identify ways to prevent the withdrawal of the states that have signalled their intention to leave.