International
Elections: Learn From Ghana’s Democratic Practice, Tinubu Urges ECOWAS Leaders
by Wale Ewedimi
President Bola Tinubu has urged leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to emulate Ghana’s democratic practice following a successful presidential and parliamentary elections in the country.
Former President John Mahama was reelected to lead Ghana once again last Saturday, defeating the incumbent Vice President, Mahamud Bawumia, who called to congratulate the winner even before the official results were declared.
In his opening speech at the 66th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government in Abuja on Sunday, Tinubu who is the Chairman said that what happened in Ghana is worthy of emulation by other countries in the region.
He hailed the incumbent President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, who is attending the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government for the last time as President, for the successful election.
“Just a week ago on the 7th of December 2024, presidential election and parliamentary elections took place in Ghana which is the second largest democracy in our region.
One of the leading candidates who happens to be the incumbent Vice President, His Excellency Mahamud Bawumia, together with the leading party, New Patriotic Party (NPP) conceded defeat and accepted the outcome of the election by congratulating the President-elect, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama of National Democratic Congress (NDC) for his victory even before the announcement of the official results.
“This gesture as it happened in Nigeria in 2015 demonstrated political maturity and respect for the wish of the people of Ghana.
Today, we have the man I will refer to as Mr Democrat, I congratulate the President Nana Akufo -ddo and the people of Ghana for the successful elections and urge all of us in the region to learn from this good democratic practice and prioritise our countries’ national unity to ensure political stability of the region that this manner of peaceful transition recalls the culture of democracies not only in West Africa but also in the entire African continent,” Tinubu said.
The Nigerian leader also commended Senegal for a successful conduct of parliamentary elections recently.
Tinubu called for cooperation among the ECOWAS member states in protecting their citizens and providing an enabling environment for the citizens to thrive.
He said raising the living standards of the citizens is an obligation on the part of the citizens.
The ECOWAS chairman, however, noted that the economic cooperation has been bolstered by the various ECOWAS policies.
The meeting went into a closed door session after the speeches.
International
Trump says he thinks Putin is helping Iran
“I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?”
President Donald Trump on Friday said he believed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is helping Iran in its war against the United States and Israel.
According to CNBC, Trump’s comment came in a radio interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, and a week after the president lashed out at Fox News reporter Peter Doocy for asking him at the White House about reports that Russia was aiding Iran.
Kilmeade asked Trump on Friday: “You think Putin is helping them?”
Trump replied, “I think he might be helping them a bit, yeah.”“I guess, and he probably thinks we’re helping Ukraine, right?” Trump continued.
“Yeah, we’re helping them also,” Trump said, referring to Ukraine, which has been at war against Russia since being invaded in early 2022.
“So he [Putin] says that, and China would say the same thing, you know,” Trump told Kilmeade.
“It’s like, ‘Hey, they do it, and we do it, in all fairness,’ ” Trump said. “They do it, and we do it.”
International
IEA agrees to release record 400 million barrels of oil to address Iran war supply disruptions
The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market
Merchant ship on fire hits by Iran in Strait of Hormuz.
The International Energy Agency on Wednesday agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil to address the supply disruption triggered by the Iran war, the largest such action in the organization’s history.
The IEA did not set out a timeline for when the stocks would hit the market.
It said that the reserves would be released over a time frame that is appropriate to the circumstances of each of its 32 member countries.
IEA members are primarily advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. The organization is tasked with maintaining global energy security.
It was founded in 1974 in response to the oil embargo imposed by Arab producers over U.S. support for Israel during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
(CNBC)
International
Iran tells world to get ready for oil at $200 a barrel as it fires on merchant ships
The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.
(REUTERS): Iran said the world should be ready for oil at $200 a barrel as its forces hit merchant ships on Wednesday and the International Energy Agency recommended a massive release of strategic reserves to dampen one of the worst oil shocks since the 1970s.
The war unleashed with joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes nearly two weeks ago has so far killed around 2,000 people, mostly Iranians and Lebanese, as it has spread into Lebanon and thrown global energy markets and transport into chaos.
Despite what the Pentagon has described as the most intense airstrikes since the start of the war, Iran also fired at Israel and targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, demonstrating it can still fight back.
On Wednesday, three vessels were reported to have been hit in Gulf waters as Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their forces had fired on ships in the Gulf that had disobeyed their orders.
While Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz said the operation “will continue without any time limit, as long as required, until we achieve all objectives and win the campaign,” Trump suggested the campaign would not last much longer.
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