Goodluck Jonathan Asks World Leaders to Allow Citizens Choose Freely

Former Nigerian President Dr Goodluck Jonathan has advised global leaders to seek to enthrone peace.

He urged them to enthrone peace in the world through true democracy and people-oriented leadership in their respective countries.

According to him, world leaders should commit to building on the common ground of promoting a democratic culture anchored on justice and solidarity among all peoples.

Jonathan made this known in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at the International Leadership Conference, jointly organised by the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) and the Asian Vision Institute (AVI).

He noted that when citizens are allowed to exercise their electoral mandate freely, they would be voting for lasting peace and sustainable development and standing up against repression, dictatorship and abuse of the rights of citizens.

His words:

“I urge world leaders to truly imbibe and embrace these principles of true democracy by not just overseeing routine elections but conducting elections that are free, fair, inclusive, transparent and credible towards placing governance at the service of the people and establishing a culture of global peace and harmony.

“Frankly speaking, talking about elections, it is important to note that election value chain through voting in the field, processing and collating of results to announcement of the outcomes, and in some countries, the judicial procedures where the processes go through litigations, must be built on a solid foundation of justice for democracy to function effectively.

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“The International Summit Council for Peace, ISCP-Africa, which I chair, will continue to advocate for a democratic culture rooted in free, fair elections, rule of law and good governance.”