Managing Election- Relation Violence for Democratic Stability in Ghana considerations. Another equally significant factor is the political terrain of the country to be observed. However, the long-term approach has been found to be the most effective form of observing elections because it allows observers to acquire adequate knowledge and to be better exposed to the context within which the elections are taking place(International IDEA, 1999). To ensure the effectiveness and legitimacy of their work, observers are required to adhere to certain ethical and professional standards(Carothers, 1997; Bjornlund, 2004). Regional and sub-regional groups such as the AU and ECOWAS have, for instance, developed codes of conduct, operational rules and reporting standards that guide the behaviour of their observers when they are deployed to host countries(ECOWAS, 2001; AU, 2002). ECOWAS observation teams are entreated to conduct their activities in accordance with the 2001 ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the ECOWAS Handbook on Election Observation. Some of the behavioural standards in these documents include: respecting the sovereignty of the host country; not compromising objectivity by being partisan and biased; not interfering in the electoral process; and ensuring accuracy of their reportage. Election Observation in Ghana: An Historical Overview Election observation has a brief history in Ghana. Elections were organized in 1951, 1954 and 1956 during British colonization, and in 1960, 1969 and 1979. Arguably, all these elections were not witnessed by observers. The presence of observers became a major issue only during the 1992 presidential and parliamentary 245