Mr Steve Opoku-Mensah, Western Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), on Tuesday called on the people to strive to establish a culture of democracy that would augment the efforts of the commission to facilitate free, fair and peaceful elections.
He made the call at a press briefing on an impending peace walk to be undertaken by two personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) at Sekondi.
Fireman John Domici Dadzie who is the main walker would be supported by Station Officer Joseph Ampiah.
Mr Opoku-Mensah said "Ensuring peaceful elections should be the collective responsibility of the entire people of Ghana".
He said the EC is committed to the delivery of free and fair elections as a means of advancing the course of democracy and good governance and that the commission hopes to achieve this by developing a competent workforce that would exhibit a high sense of personal integrity.
Mr Opoku-Mensah said other measures needed to achieve free and fair elections were building confidence and trust in the electoral system and treating all stakeholders in elections fairly.
The rest were establishing transparency and verifiable electoral process, maintaining a reliable and credible voter's register and making the electorate knowledgeable about their rights and responsibilities as voters.
Mr Opoku-Mensah said conditions relevant to ensuring peaceful elections included regard and respect by the contestants for one another as legitimate aspirants to political office and the existence of reasonable playing field.
He said the party in power should also dissociate itself from the government for the purposes of the elections and political parties should be ready to abide by the rules of competitive party politics and play it fair with one another.
Nana Ekow Abban, Regional Command of the GNFS, said the service and the Regional Security Task forces are reaching out to the public and politicians to educate their supporters to eschew bitterness and fighting before, during and after the elections.
He said, 'We as a people must endeavour to hold our motherland together in trust for generations yet unborn".
Fireman Dadzie said they would begin their walk at Wa on October 25 though the Upper East, Northern, Brong-Ahafo and Ashanti regions to the Western Region.
They would continue the walk from the Western Region to the Central, Eastern and Volta regions and finally end up in Accra on November 28.
Most Reverend Martin Darko, Catholic Bishop of Sekondi-Takoradi Diocese, said there would be peace in the country when people have active and positive goodwill towards others.
He said goodwill is the challenge "God has thrown to us and all evil such as armed robbery, drug trafficking, terrorism and violence are caused by people who have no goodwill and are motivated by selfishness and misplaced pride."
Bishop Darko called on traditional rulers to play their role in promoting and instilling peace and harmony in the areas.