Ghana shows the way in democratic governance in Africa despite glitches in 2020 election

It was one of the keenly contested elections in the history of Ghana as former President John Dramani Mahama locked horns with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 general elections.

The rivalry between the two astute politicians date back to their days in parliament coupled with their contest for the presidency in 2012 and 2016 which obviously set the tone for a competitive race.    

Arguably one of the most stable democracies in the West African Sub-Region, all eyes were on Ghana when it went to the polls on December 7, 2020 to elect a President and 275 legislators for the next four years.

Having carved a niche for itself as the beacon of hope in terms of multi-party democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa, there was high expectation that the 2020 general elections in Ghana would further strengthen the country’s democratic credentials ahead of the election.

This, to a large extend, has been achieved despite alleged infractions and electoral fraud claims by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the largest opposition party in the country.

The NDC and its Flag bearer, Former President John Dramani Mahama are yet to concede defeat after accusing the Electoral Commission (EC) of conniving with the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to steal the verdict of the people.

At least seven people, believed to be members of the opposition, have died as a result of violent clashes with security forces during collation of results in the Accra, the capital city and Techiman South in the Bono East Region.

The NDC have since been organizing street protests in all the 16 administrative regions to register their displeasure about what they describe as a “cooked result” declared by the EC.

The opposition believes the results declared by the EC did not reflect the will of the people, claiming they have uncovered widespread electoral fraud across the 275 constituencies in favour of the sitting President.    

They have therefore vowed to explore all legitimate and peaceful means to overturn the “stolen verdict” to fulfill the people’s desire for change of regime through the ballot.

After filling an election petition in Ghana’s Supreme Court, the NDC continues to make a strong case for a second look at the results which they are optimistic can change the outcome of the election.

The party recently held a press conference to expose how over voting in certain polling stations took place which skewed the results in favour of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo.

It is however worth noting that irrespective of the skirmishes that have characterized this year’s election, Ghana still remains a shining example for most African states to emulate.

This is because no matter the stakes in Ghana’s elections since 1992, the country has always set a standard worthy of emulation in a volatile region where virtually all neighboring countries have suffered election-related conflicts.

It is not common for sitting presidents in Africa to hand over power to opposition leaders but Ghana has successfully gone through such transitions on three occasions in accordance with the national constitution.

The peaceful transfer of power in the year 2000 by late President Jerry John Rawlings, a former military ruler set the pace for subsequent Presidents to uphold the 1992 Constitution, thereby ensuring uninterrupted constitutional rule in the last 28 years.

Given the tension that characterised the 2020 election, there were fears of a possible break down of law and order as leadership of the two major parties assured their followers of nothing but victory in the run up the election.

Despite the opposition’s refusal to concede defeat it has resorted to legitimate processes recognized by the Constitution to press home their concerns over the election result – a process that opposition parties in many African countries have failed to adopt due to lack faith in their judiciary.

Even in the case of the NDC, it has persistently raised concerns about fairness in the court system, yet it still went ahead to file a petition at the apex court of the land in the interest of peace, security and stability of the country.

The adherence to rule of law and the democratic structures by Ghanaians is what differentiates the country from its peers in terms of protecting the fledgling democracy being practiced on the continent.

Ghana may not be out of the woods yet as far as the election is concerned following the petition filed by the NDC, it still remains one of the best democracies Africa can boast of.