By Azudawu Gabriel
Ghana has experienced peaceful handoffs of power between its two major political parties as well as contested multiparty elections. Discrimination against women and LGBT+ individuals still exists despite the nation’s generally good reputation of safeguarding civil liberties. The rule of law and judicial independence both have certain flaws, corruption hinders effective government operations, and political violence is a major source of worry. Following trends from the democratic elections held in the nation, the voting pattern appears to grant eight years to the two major political parties, the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress.
In an actual rematch, President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) defeated his predecessor John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to win a second term. Despite the fact that election observers thought the polls were well-managed, Mahama claimed the results were false, and NDC supporters demonstrated. The immediate aftermath of the election was also marred by violence, with the police reporting five fatalities a few days after the results were announced. The Techiman case was also a matter of great interest
With 137 seats each, the NPP and NDC tied the vote in the concurrent parliamentary elections. aLater that month, an independent lawmaker decided to endorse the NPP, making them the majority group in parliament. The NDC and legal observers questioned the government’s implementation of COVID-19-related movement and gathering limitations and the promulgation of the Imposition of Restrictions Act (IRA). These events happened in 2020 when the World Health Organization declared Covid as a global pandemic.
The president, who leads the nation and state, is chosen directly for up to two four-year terms. With 51.3 percent of the vote, President Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP won a second term in office. John Mahama (2012–17) of the NDC received 47.3 percent of the vote. Election observers from the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU) praised the contest’s organization and overall tranquility, however EU observers criticized it for lacking campaign finance laws and misusing public funds. Mahama, however, challenged the results in court, alleging fraud, and the case was still ongoing at year’s end. The outcome of the election petition which garnered a lot of interest ended up with the NPP presidential candidate-elect winning the case because the apex court branded it as a case which lacked merit and substantial evidence.
Violence characterized the days immediately following the election, with the national police reporting at least five fatalities. Also a shooting incident rocked Techiman which also left many dead and some injured. The case which was taken up so seriously ended up with no proper results or justice sought for the victims or their families.
The 275-seat unicameral Parliament’s members are chosen directly from single-member districts for four-year periods.
In elections held in December 2020 in tandem with the presidential race, the NPP, which had a majority in the previous parliament, and the NDC each gained 137 seats. The NPP now has a slim de facto majority after an independent who promised to support it won one of the seats. Election observers praised how well they were run generally. Even if there were some legal disputes over who actually won and who lost, these disputes are all a part of the drama that produced scenes and even made the Ghanaian parliament a laughingstock across the world due to physical altercations and minor disputes. The election of the Speaker of parliament also painted a gloomy picture of our legislators. One even had the balls to ran with ballot papers on a quest to impede smooth election process.
Both domestic and foreign observers believe that the EC is an effective manager of the electoral process. The NDC challenged Jean Mensah’s selection as its chairwoman in 2018, calling it partisan, and the organization’s composition has historically been a source of political contention. However, Mensah’s appointment received widespread praise from civil society.
In advance of the elections in December 2020, the EC declared plans to construct a new voter registration in 2019. The EC used an improved biometric method to register voters for six weeks in June through August and for one day in October. This exercise, they said, would be one of the most transparent and a step in the right direction towards getting all eligible voters in place ready to vote in the presidential and parliamentary elections in the history of our country. While this push was mainly successful, some juveniles and residents who were not citizens of Ghana were apparently able to register, and there were fights between NPP and NDC supporters at certain registration locations. However news reaching the Ghanaian populace is that in the incoming elections which is supposed to be held in 2024, all eligible voters would have to hold a Ghana card or the ECOWAS Identification Card before one can exercise his or her franchise. This move is seen as a threat by the opposition party, the NDC who has vowed to ensure that it never sees the light of day because that is a deliberate attempt by the Jean Mensah-led EC to rig the incoming general elections in favour of the ruling NPP government who has vowed to break the “8”.
Political party formation is guaranteed by the constitution, and it is typically upheld. However, partisan paramilitaries are becoming more involved in inter- and intraparty conflicts, which has alarmed civil society organizations.
An increase in registration fees limited the capacity of candidates, particularly those from smaller parties, to compete. Jean Mensah declared in September 2020 that filing fees for presidential candidates would be 100,000 cedis ($17,200), quadruple the amount from 2016, and that of parliamentary candidates will be 10,000 cedis ($1,730). Surprisingly, 12 candidates submitted their applications for the presidential contest, despite the fact that the intention was to reduce the number of candidates. New political parties were even created to partake in the elections and that made the elections very interesting.
I love Ghana because it’s a very beautiful and serene country.
