With just a few days remaining until Ghana’s pivotal 2024 general elections, the country stands at a defining juncture in its democratic journey.
Civil society organisations and key stakeholders sound the alarm: decisive action is urgently required to tackling critical threats to the integrity of the elections, and ensuring a transparent, inclusive, and credible electoral process.
The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI), in its latest policy brief issued following the West Africa Policy Dialogue Series (WACPoDiS) convening on October 9, 2024, in Accra, presents a comprehensive overview of the pressing issues at play.
The event, themed “Towards Democratic Consolidation: Strengthening Inclusion, Transparency, and Credibility in the 2024 Ghanaian Election,” brought together a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including representatives from the Electoral Commission (EC), civil society organisations (CSOs), United Nations (UN) representatives, the security sector, diplomatic missions, and policymakers.
The collective voice of these stakeholders shapes the recommendations in the policy brief, underscoring the urgency of addressing critical challenges ahead of the elections.
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As Ghana prepares for its ninth general election under the Fourth Republic, a confluence of factors—socioeconomic unrest, widespread voter apathy, and an alarming surge in disinformation campaigns—has created a volatile pre-election atmosphere.
The policy brief highlights a concerning erosion of public trust in key institutions, particularly the Electoral Commission (EC), whose credibility according a section of the public, has been severely undermined, with public trust dropping from 75% in 2005 to just 33% in 2022, according to the Afrobarometer Survey on Trust in Ghana’s Electoral System.
Additionally, the brief outlines several other critical threats to the election’s credibility, including political vigilantism, the underrepresentation of marginalized groups such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities, and the unchecked spread of false information.
It identifies four key priorities for immediate action to ensure the integrity of the election:
1. Restoring Public Trust: Transparent management of the electoral process, particularly in the timely and secure transmission of election results, is essential to rebuilding public confidence in the EC.
2. Championing Inclusion: A concerted effort is needed to engage marginalized groups, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities, through targeted voter education and supportive policies.
3. Ensuring Security: Neutrality and preparedness from security agencies, along with community-driven peace initiatives, are crucial to preventing violence and maintaining order on election day.
4. Combatting Disinformation: Real-time fact-checking initiatives and holding media outlets accountable for spreading false narratives are crucial in protecting the credibility of the election process.
As the countdown to December 7 continues, WACSI and other stakeholders call on political parties, security forces, and Election Monitoring Bodies (EMBs) to work together to foster an electoral environment that upholds global democratic principles.
The outcome of this election will not only determine the future leadership of the nation but will also reinforce Ghana’s standing as a beacon of democracy in Africa.
