The Electoral Commission and Free and Fair Elections in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: A Case Study of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee

Abstract

The 1992 broached election of Ghana saw the transformation of its’ EMB from INEC to EC and its success in conducting free and fair elections over the years has placed Ghana on high pedestal as the beacon of democracy in Africa. However, this achievement could not have been possible without the help of IPAC – a stakeholder consultation forum. Although IPAC is not backed by law and faces many challenges, it has made impact in Ghana’s democratic dispensation and attracted a replication in other African countries. This study attempted to assess IPAC’s contribution to free and fair elections in Ghana with the aid of Goodwin-Gill (1994)’s indices of free and fair elections as a framework. This study further investigates the challenges informal institution faces and how these problems can be solved. Additionally, this study assess whether the EC still desires IPAC. Findings from the study showed that IPAC has contributed to the indices of free and fair elections although it faces some challenges and that despite in IPAC from time to time the EC still desires IPAC and thus continually engage IPAC.