Ghana must win on Saturday, December 7, 2024

On April 28, 1992, the proposed constitution for the Fourth Republic was approved through a national referendum after 92 per cent of the eligible voters had voted to support it. It became the official document christened the 1992 Constitution.

Thereafter, there were many public announcements in the media about political party revivals and presidential candi­dates. I heard the late President Jerry John Rawlings announce his intentions to stand to contest for the 1992 general election at a durbar of chiefs and people of Kwahu Tafo in the Eastern Re­gion, where I had been assigned to cover for radio Ghana as a young journalist.

At the said durbar in his hon­our, Mr. J.J. Rawlings told the gathering that he would contest any general election to become the President of Ghana.

This was the fourth time the nation was undergoing democrat­ic governance. The First Republic was from 1960 to 1966, and there came a three-year military rule from 1966 to 1969, which was followed by the Second Republic from 1969 to 1972. The second military rule then began from 1972 to 1979, after which the Third Republic was instituted from 1979–1981. Another mili­tary government took its woeful turn in 1981 until 1993.

Ghanaians were subjected to this undemocratic rule for nearly 12 years under the leadership of the late J. J. Rawlings. There are divergent views on the need or otherwise of such a kind of gov­ernance considering the era.

After several protests and agitations were made in demon­strating the displeasure of the populace under military rule the way was then paved for yet another democratic governance system in the country.

Mr. J.J. Rawlings had come to power in a military coup since December 1981 and established the PNDC to rule the country. In 1984, the PNDC created a National Commission on Democracy to study ways to establish participatory democracy in Ghana and the outcome of it was the return to democratic rule.

The leader of arguably Africa’s famous national revolution, Mr Rawlings formed the National Democratic Congress and, in al­liance with other political parties, contested the 1992 elections and won under disputed circumstanc­es. (The Progressive Alliance was a coalition of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the National Convention Party (NCP), and Every Ghanaian Liv­ing Everywhere (EGLE)).

He won the second democratic elections in 1996 and had two terms in office as the President of the land. Indeed, he was the first President of the Fourth Republic and guarded it well. By this, he was the first President to have served his two-term mandate and the longest-serving Head of Government in Ghana.

After him came President John Agyekum Kufour on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), from 2000 to 2008, which was for two terms. Professor John Evans Atta-Mills from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) took over after the 2008 elections and won against the then-NPP candidate, Nana Ad­do-Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Profes­sor Mills passed into glory while in office in 2012 while he had five months to complete his first term in office as the President of the land in 2012. His tenure was continued by his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama per the dictates of the 1992 Constitution.

He further won the 2012 gen­eral elections and became Presi­dent. Until then all the Presidents in the Fourth Republic had John as first names. Mr John Mahama then lost the 2016 election thus becoming the only President to have ruled for only a term.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has since been the President on the ticket of the NPP. His tenure has been char­acterised by global negativities including outbreaks of pandem­ics as well as severe economic downturn. It is also one with massive development, in terms of infrastructural development and policies on social interven­tions. His tenure ends this year.

Once again, it is an election year. As usual since the inception of the Fourth Republic citizens of Ghana, who are eligible to express their choice of who to govern them, will have another right and privilege of doing so on Saturday, December 7, 2024.

Yet, after 32 years of embark­ing on the path of democratisa­tion, the nation now with over 30 million people is faced with an­other attempt to elect a President and 275 Members of Parliament. For the second time in the his­tory of Ghana, an ex-president who believes he can do better than his first presidential duty is challenging the incumbent.

Mr John Dramani Mahama, who served as the President from 2013 to 2016 comes face to face with the NPP’s Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

To date, Ghana has a multi-par­ty democratic system. Still, there are only two dominant political parties, the NPP and the NDC, who have over the years won all general elections for the past 32 years.

As of now, there are 27 polit­ical parties listed on the website of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana. Of these, a total of 11 parties were cleared by the EC to participate in the eight general elections under the Fourth Republic, this year, 2020 The people of Ghana are gearing themselves up for yet other general elections and 17, 027, 641 eligible voters will select candi­dates from 27 political parties at 38, 622 voting stations.

In the run-up to the day, a fierce challenge has been ob­served between the two main political parties. For apparent reasons, corruption has been a significant issue in the campaign with each accusing the other of corruption.

Infrastructure and socio-eco­nomic policies by these two giant political parties in the county are under severe scrutiny as to who has been the best. These are seen differently in the eyes of the vot­ers and therefore intended media exploits have been employed to help the voters understand and appreciate their ‘handiworks.’

Media of all forms have been extensively used by the political parties, especially the NPP and the NDC, than at any time in the Fourth Republic.

Unlike the past campaigns, ad­vances in media technology have strengthened the process giving candidates more options to reach even larger groups of constit­uents amidst the huge rallies and the door-to-door approach adopted by the two parties and some of the independent candi­dates.

Today, people have been clued to the media more than ever. Information dissemination has become more effortless than before. Again, there is so much interest in the sophisticated and intriguing manner information is disseminated and the youth, therefore in particular, who also form a considerable part of the voting class, can be easily reached with campaign messages.

“Ghana’s peaceful political transition holds lessons for other African states. It highlights four important conditions. First, the electoral management body must take concrete, visible steps to address perceptions or proven allegations of political bias. Sec­ond, electoral data must be acces­sible to a wide variety of relevant stakeholders. Third, the electoral management body should main­tain an open communication line with traditional and social media outlets. Finally, political leaders must choose words and actions that keep tense political environ­ments from escalating. Together, these practices will bolster the credibility of the electoral pro­cess, enabling the candidates and the public to accept the results.”

Out of all the ups and downs, Ghana’s current democratic dispensation has flourished and is extremely successful. There must be no reason for this enviable feat to be thrown to the dogs. There is an urgent need to guard against this jealousy.

Ghana is the winner, and we need to work hard to continue to be pacesetters for other countries and consolidate our enviable feat.

BY NANA SIFA TWUM (PHD)