6 December 2024: Voters in Ghana's general elections. [photo: Commonwealth Secretariat on Flikr]
[This is an excerpt from an article in The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs and Policy Studies. Opinions do not reflect the position of the editorial board.]
A total of 13 candidates from nine political parties and four independents vied for the Presidency in the elections. Only the two main political parties fielded candidates in every constituency and had polling agents in all polling stations. None of the other parties had a significant following – even the remnant of Nkrumah’s once all powerful CPP party. Political parties launched their manifestos and campaigned freely across the country, culminating in both the NPP and NDC holding rallies in Accra on the eve of the elections on 6 December. Despite their proximity and size, they remained peaceful. Religious groups, traditional leaders and civil society organisations worked well together in local peace councils, cautioning citizens against the use of violence and incendiary statements before, during and after elections.
The signing of all parties to the National Peace Pact under the auspices of the National Peace Council on Thursday 28 October was a very positive development. It encouraged a better atmosphere as the country moved into the immediate pre-election period. Nevertheless, numerous stakeholders and political parties expressed distrust to Observers in the ability of national institutions to ensure credible and transparent elections. This included the Electoral Commission – particularly the Chair herself, Mrs Jean Adukwei Mensa, who had been appointed by the Government in July 2018 in controversial circumstances – as well as the Judiciary and law enforcement bodies. While these institutions are well established, this distrust indicated a growing discontent in Ghanaian society. Tensions between the two main parties also contributed to worries about the potential for violence during the 2024 elections, as had occurred in 2020. Observers were briefed by the Inspector General of Police and were impressed by the security preparations made under the guidance of the National Election Security Task Force and the general professionalism of the police. This was confirmed in the field and on Election Day. Concerns about the use of military and intimidation by them proved unfounded.
Election Day itself was overwhelmingly peaceful, and the electoral officials performed with exemplary professionalism. The Commonwealth Observers were deployed widely across the country, observing polling stations in the centre of the cities and under trees in the rural areas, all of which were well set up and staffed. They were well received and able to engage easily with the authorities, parties, other observers and voters generally. There were some security incidents and attacks on tabulation centres, especially in the North, which were of serious concern. But action was taken by the authorities, and they did not detract from the overall positive atmosphere or impact on results.
The day after the election had the possibility of turning ugly, as results came out only slowly from the Election Commission. With results posted publicly up at polling stations and collation centres, it was clear though that the NDC was achieving a significant victory, including in the NPP heartlands. But NDC supporters were deeply suspicious the government would not hand over power. The NPP candidate and incumbent Vice President Bawumia showed exemplary political presence of mind by relying on his own party’s parallel tally to concede defeat quickly in these circumstances. This diffused the growing tensions and possibility for violence nationwide. This was a courageous move and an example to the leaders of even much older democracies. It does raise questions, though, whether the Electoral Commission should review the manner in which it releases results to ensure quicker real-time preliminary results in line with standard practice in most established democracies and diminish the possibility for such tension.
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As it happened with a good turnout of 63.7% of the electorate, the NDC won not only the Presidency with 56.4% of the popular vote, but also 183 of the 276 Parliamentary seats. On 9 December, the COG Chair issued his Interim Statement, commending the people of Ghana for the way in which they exercised their franchise, the Electoral Commission and staff for the conduct of the elections, and Vice President Bawumia for his statesmanship. He concluded, ‘Ghana’s success as the Black Star of Africa is a model not only for the region and the rest of Africa, but for the Commonwealth and the world’.Footnote1
The team spent the next several days preparing an in-depth report which will be provided to the Ghanaian electoral commission and authorities, and in due course will be made public. It covers issues of the legal framework and administration, participation and inclusion, campaign and the media, and voting the count and results process, with recommendations for ongoing improvements. While it was good to see – for the first time – that the new Vice President of Ghana is a woman (Professor Jane Naana Opuku Agyemang), there has been a disappointing decline in the number of women members of Parliament over the last decade, and this trend continued in this election.
It is to be hoped Ghana can capitalise on this exemplary election and its other advantages to demonstrate its political leadership in the region and regain its role as a regional and strategic economic hub and an example of good governance to the region. The Commonwealth needs to support that. The deployment of the COG underlined once again the value of this electoral observation work as core business for the Commonwealth in supporting the strengthening of democracy in its member nations. The Group was delighted that outgoing Secretary General Patricia Scotland took the time for a video discussion with them after the election to get their personal input. The Commonwealth family can be confident the incoming Secretary General Botchwey, having seen the value of this work in her own nation, will remain strongly committed to the Commonwealth’s role in election observation and democracy development.
Matthew Neuhaus is with the Australian National University.
