The Impact of Internal Democracy on the Performance of Political Parties in Ghana: The Cases of Three Constituencies.

Abstract

Internal democracy, also known as intra-party democracy, refers to the level and methods of including party members in decision making and deliberation within the party structure. The debate as to whether internal democracy enhances the performance of political parties in elections has left scholars divided. The subject of internal democracy has become important in Ghana because of the argument that democracy within political parties is a reflection of how democracy is organized within the state, largely because of the winner takes all politics. This study explores the extent to which internal democracy has affected the performance of Ghana’s leading political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), that have alternated power since the return to constitutional rule in 1993. Relying on mixed research methods and anchored on the philosophy of pragmatism, the study intends to examine the subject between 2000 and 2016 in three unique constituencies, Ledzokuku, Ketu South and Kwabre East; the first, a swing constituency, and the second and third, strongholds of the NDC and NPP respectively. Preliminary findings based on the literature reviewed are discussed.