For this analytical blog, an assessment of the election petition that took place during Ghana’s Presidential election in 2012 can provide a glimpse into the country’s transition to establishing a democracy. Voting is a fundamental aspect of a democratic regime. In a democratic system, elections serve as the basis in allowing citizens an opportunity to express their opinion and wield their authority on decisions. Additionally, the electoral process holds the government accountable through constraints, which reiterates the significance of implementing democratic institutions. In essence, the establishment of free and fair elections are major components to initiating a democratic system in a country. For citizens living in Ghana, the electoral process provided them an opportunity to decide on issues and ensure that their government operates accordingly.
Despite obtaining independence from Great Britain in 1957, the country experienced various military coups d’états that affected their progress towards development and their ability to establish stability. Specifically, after attaining independence, the country endured 22 years of military rule (Asante W et al., 1). Military takeovers were considered a serious threat to Ghana’s governance, particularly when attempting to develop a rule of law to initiate control. In addition, conflict between ethnic groups was quite prevalent early in Ghana’s history due to the existence of various tribes, which posed another challenge to stability. To enact progress towards development, Ghana adopted its constitution in 1992. Implementing the constitution indicated that the country was beginning to establish governance and change the significance of political power after their experience with successive military rule (Asante W et al., 1).
Through the adoption of their constitution in 1992, Ghana progressively transitioned into a nation predicated on democratic principles. As a symbol towards enacting governance, the country began to improve their electoral process. To organize elections and promote political stability, the constitution established the Electoral Commission, which was designed to arrange public elections accordingly (Asante W et al., 1). The Electoral Commission designated that the country was progressing towards the enactment of free and fair elections. Ensuring that elections remain free and fair indicated that legitimacy became a priority for the country’s electoral process.
In regards to Ghana’s Presidential election in 2012 and the election petition, the Electoral Commission played a vital role in the outcome because allegations were made on how the winner was decided. Previous elections in Ghana were greatly contested due to various political parties and presidential candidates. Since its inception, the Electoral Commission has improved how elections have been conducted in Ghana; however, the presidential election petition in 2012 created a dilemma for the emerging democratic principles (Asante W et al., 3).
The 2012 Presidential election was highly contested between John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress and Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party. The Election Commission claimed that John Mahama secured victory, but members from the NPP petitioned the Supreme Court to investigate the election based on “electoral anomalies”(Asante W et al., 4). According to petitioners, issues at the polling station pertaining to registration had a considerable effect on the election outcome. For instance, petitioners asserted that statutory violations were recognizable on Declaration Forms that “directly introduced 1,342,845 irregular votes into the aggregate of valid votes recorded” (Asante W et al., 4). Other issues included duplicate serial numbers and duplicate polling station codes, which were also raised in the petitioners case (Asante W et al., 4).
In the Supreme Court’s final judgement, the Justices concluded that John Mahama was fairly elected and dismissed the assertions made by petitioners (Asante W et al., 5). Despite being associated as the losing party, petitioners accepted the Supreme Court’s decision in regards to the dispute. Their response to the verdict demonstrated that Ghana has progressed from their history of conflict to become a more unified nation based on democratic principles. Essentially, the position taken by the petitioners after the decision was important because it immediately quelled tension and “calmed the nerves of the supporters of the petitioners” (Asante W et al., 5).
Overall, how the Presidential election petition was handled indicated that Ghana established a democratic system. The parties involved had to rely on democratic institutions to resolve the issue. Their dependence on democratic structures was a vital step for Ghanaians to restore their trust in government and for the country to initiate development. The Supreme Court was essential in the democratic process because the petition challenged the judiciary and the Electoral Commission. Filing a petition towards the Supreme Court and Electoral Commission demonstrated that Ghanaians were obligated to use democratic institutions to resolve disputes.
Was the Election Petition in Ghana a Blessing in Disguise?
Written By: Ahmed Jaiteh
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I think it’s really interesting how important it is that Ghana was able to establish its democracy through the Election Commission’s review of their election. Having a third party involved where corruption could be high in order to review the outcome allows more democratic influence into the election and allows for the establishing of a democratic status quo in the nation. Political participation of Ghanaians was important as well in establishing that status quo through their petitioning of the election commission and the government to have democratic and fair elections. If that were to fail, then democracy may not be what it is today in Ghana and the country may still be struggling to become one. Many countries lack a strong election commission and some abuse it, so it was nice to see a country prevail in their pursuit of a democracy.