Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, returned home Sunday, from Monrovia, Liberia after undertaking a pre-election assessment tour as co-Special Envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS.) A press release issued by Mr Frank Agyekum, Spokesperson Office of former President JA Kufuor, named General Abdulsalam Abubakar, former Head of State of Nigeria, as the other co-Special Envoy of ECOWAS. The two former leaders, expressed satisfaction at the outcome of their meetings with all stakeholders in the elections to be held on 11th October 2011. Those they met included representatives of all the 19 political parties contesting the presidential poll, civil society organizations, religious groups, officials of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the media. At separate meetings with the civil society organisations, former President Kufuor urged them to take the ‘middle road’ between contending factions in the political field. Civil society must act as the third force to balance the equation in the political arena by remaining unattached to any side and bringing up critical issues that will help to chart a progressive path for the country, he noted. Former President Kufuor charged the media to be alive to their responsibilities as the fourth estate of the realm and help to nurture democracy instead of destroying it. He said it was bounding on media practitioners to promote issues that will bring peace, unity and development. They can therefore not claim to be the ’mirror of society’ and therefore publish or broadcast anything that come their way, he observed. The two former leaders also held talks with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf who is seeking a second five year term.