March Towards Ghana’s 2020 Elections - My Hope, My Fears

 Article by: Mary Ankrah

Election is the selection process by which people are chosen to represent the masses, especially in a democratic country. A successful election is transparent, peaceful, free, fair and credible in accordance with the constitution, reflecting the will of the people.

In Ghana since the inception of the fourth Republic in 1992, elections are held every four years to elect Presidential and Parliamentary Candidates. In Ghana, under the democratic process, the Presidential election is won by a candidate having more than 50% of the valid votes cast and the Parliamentary election is won by majority valid votes cast. 

However, Ghana’s elections have evolved over the years with some successes and challenges. The successes include the introduction of the use of biometric verification machines for the electoral process to combat fraud and irregularities; the use of transparent ballot boxes, counting of voting results before voters, the presence of local and international observers in polling stations including the Ghana’s Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) and Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) as well as civil society group involvement, and media reportage to ensure transparent, fair and peaceful elections among others.

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Nonetheless, the last election in 2016 was peaceful and successful even though it witnessed some minor electoral issues, it was a turning point in the history of Ghana’s democratic process. The question is, would this turning point linger in this year’s elections? Every Ghanaian hope and pray for a peaceful, violent free, credible and fair elections this year. 

Ghana’s journey in achieving a more credible, peaceful, fair, free and transparent election this year is paramount and non-negotiable to enhance the country’s democracy. It therefore lies on the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) who the constitution has empowered to oversee to election processes in the country to ally with all election stakeholders including, the security agencies, the government, media, civil society groups, political parties, politicians, religious organisations, Ghana Peace Council, local and international observers and the citizens to take more vibrant policy framework to guarantee fairness and peaceful elections. 

The above election stakeholders have significant roles to play in achieving the election’s potentials and goals with barely nine months to the 2020 elections.

My Hope

In preparing towards the 2020 elections, the voter’s register ought to be compiled and made available to the parties early enough devoid of any ghost names. In the wake of several calls by political parties especially the opposition party to resist the replacement of the current biometric register for the 2020 elections,  the Electoral Commission is entreated to re-consider the display date for the new voters’ register to make it more convenient for all stakeholders.  

More so, public awareness campaigns must be intensified to entreat all citizens to be more conscious to maintain the peace in the country and avoid extreme violence before, during and after elections. The various Election Stakeholders are to intensify education across the country to the populace and the need to take positive stand to eschew violence extremism during political campaigns, election periods and after election as there are policies that prosecute election offenders. The citizens must be made to understand the electoral process adequately to enable them who are eligible to vote.

It is rationally mandatory for the Electoral Commission to conduct free, smooth, peaceful, fair, transparent and credible elections devoid of any sentiments. To play this role effectively, the Electoral Commission must ensure all contesting candidates of both parliamentary and presidential are given equal rights to contest; campaign, and communicate any situation they detect may hinder a smooth, peaceful, and fair elections to the Electoral Commission for redress. Any discrepancies ought to be addressed timely by the Electoral Commissioner before, during and after the elections while ensuring fair judgments. 

In addition, it is a matter of concern that the security agencies are adequately resourced and trained for this year’s elections. If the security agencies are not adequately resourced and trained, they may not be able to dispense their security duties professionally, giving way for people or political party members or leaders to sort unprofessional or illegal means like the use macho men or take the laws into their hands.

My Fears

As witnessed in many elections, previous elections have been characterized with issues of campaign riots, violence, killings, allegation of fraud, stealing, rigging and damaging of ballot boxes, malfunctioning of biometric verification machines during elections and among other issues. 

Hence, whenever elections are approaching many Ghanaians and international observer feared election related violence. The trauma, anguish, pains and damages it beget on people, politicians, properties and the nation leaves many questions unanswered.

The people of Ghana find it worrying that if before the elections the issues surrounding the compilation of a new voter register and the bio-metric verification machines as well as issues that may occur after voting such as counting of election results are not amicably resolve by the Electoral Commission and Stakeholders it may ignite violence either during or after the elections. 

Worrisomely, although Ghana is a multi-party system, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC) are the most dominated parties and in all elections there has been rivalry between these two political parties. Following the 2012 elections, the NPP challenge the elections results declaration in the Supreme Court as the NDC Presidential Candidate, John Dramani Mahama was declared winner against the NPP Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. 

Intrinsically, the conflicts for power are likely to be prevalent as such one must be on guard.  For instance, in the 2016 Presidential election Mr. Mahama accepted defeat without any protest, it cannot be predicted that such smooth transition will occur in the 2020 elections if eventually the election does not favour the incumbent President or John Dramani Mahama will again accept defeat easily without any protest. 

In this vain, the Electoral Commission is encouraged to come up with a workable redress policy to direct all parties and candidates on the appropriate and legal ways to seek redress in such situations. The Commissioner must as a matter of importance certify all results before they are announced or declared, thereby upholding transparency and fairness in all its endeavours.  

It is feared that political party members may misconduct themselves especially when the election results do not favour them as most of those who engage in election violent acts are not reprimanded.

Conclusively, though it is appreciated that Ghana has improved it electoral processes over the years, it must speed up to implement more electoral reform policies to better address electoral issues. For this reason, political parties, leaders, members; citizens, the Electoral Commission and all stakeholders must endeavour to always seek the country's interest first among other things to move the country forward.