Former President Jerry John Rawlings is cautioning against cheating in the upcoming general elections, warning it could destabilise the country.

He says the country’s peace can only be guaranteed if the election is free and fair.

He was speaking at the national delegates’ congress of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in Accra on Saturday, April 30 at the International Trade Fair Centre.

Mr. Rawlings said, “It is important for us to remember that if we adopt a process that is fraudulent and unfair, whatever victory you think you will win will only lead to an unstable situation.”

“We can only have a stable and secure country if we ensure that the election is free and fair,” he added.

According to ex-president Rawlings, the military regime he led was more productive than Ghana’s current democratic era. 

“I have always referred to that period before we went constitutional…that democratic revolutionary period is one of the most creative, energetic, dynamic times in our history,” Rawlings said.

“It was at a time when we did not exist in our various splinter parties, we used to be one big united vehicle. One of our finest times. Today we find ourselves in multi-party and it is leading to expressions that create animosity. We have seen violence,” he added.

Mr. Rawlings’ wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was confirmed as the National Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the upcoming elections.