EU Ambassador to Ghana, Irchad Razaaly, has stated that without the freedom of the media, there will be no democracy and accountability.

According to him, Ghana's 1992 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, including press freedom, and thus called for these rights to be upheld.

Speaking on JoyNews’ National Dialogue on Defending Media Freedom, he said, “No freedom of press, no democracy, no freedom of press, no accountability, no freedom of the press, no human rights."

He noted that around the world, press freedom is increasingly under threat, with journalists often facing less protection.

“The freedom to do their job is infringed upon. New challenges such as misinformation and disinformation in Europe and Africa. The intentional manipulation of information flows and public opinion is threatening the stability of our state and the coercion of the society not to mention the robustness of society,” he said.

However, Mr Razaaly stated that despite ongoing advocacy for media freedom, the press has a vital role to play in the upcoming elections.

“The media must play a critical role by informing the electorates, monitoring the quality of the election process and encouraging peaceful engagement in the electoral process. The media also has a responsibility by respecting the prerogative of the Electoral Commission by announcing the final election results and by avoiding any slandering speech,” he said.