40 FOREIGN JOURNALISTS HERE

ABOUT 40 foreign journalists are in the country to observe and report on the fifth elections of the country under the Fourth Republican Constitution.
Information at the Ministry of Information, the first port of call generally for all foreign journalists to the country, show that 36 journalists have formally registered with the ministry to cover the elections.
Figures at the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) also show the same number of journalists who have submitted their details for accreditation to cover the elections.
While the accreditation by the Ministry is the general process to go through by all journalists visiting the country for any purpose at all, the accreditation from the GJA is specifically for the coverage of the elections.
Reputable foreign media organisations, such as the BBC, the Associated Press (AP), Radio France International (RFI), Al Jazeera in Qatar, Reuters, European Press Agency, Nigerian Television, Asia and Africa Today based in Russia, are all in the country for the historic elections today.
More journalists and observers continue to pour into the country, officials from the GJA, the Ministry and the Electoral Commission said.
Observers in the country are from the European Union, the Carter Centre, the Commonwealth and ECOWAS.
A member of the EU Election Observation Mission, Mr Mattias Eick, told the Daily Graphic that a 76-member observer mission was in the country.
The mission will be looking at the legal framework of the elections, the practices, standards and whether they compare with international best practices that the country is signatory to.
He said the atmosphere prior to and after the election would also be of concern to the mission as all these were important.
Mr Eick said a full assessment of the election would be made public at a press conference on Tuesday 9, December 2008.
He said the mission would continue to the end of the year to observe issues arising after the elections such as court cases.
06.12.08
DAILY GRAPHIC, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2008, PG 32