A Comparative Study of Parliamentary Elections in Bongo and Bolgatanga Constitutencies, 2000-2008

Abstract

Elections in Ghana have produced many interesting outcomes. The need for either a change or continuity in the administration of a country or a constituency depends on the voters’ choice in an election. An understanding of what informs the voter’s choice in an election and how the voter exercises this franchise constitute the benchmark of this study. Voters in Bolgatanga and Bongo constituencies have voted for the NDC in the six presidential elections since 1992 and their choice have been influenced by the growing number of developmental projects initiated and executed by the NDC such schools, rural electrification, roads, construction of market centres and other health facilities provided by the NDC administration. These developmental projects constitute the rationale for their voting choice in the presidential elections. However, in terms of the parliamentary elections, the consistency of voters for the NDC candidates in Bongo constituency is largely shaped by the personal qualities of the candidates, their participation and contributions to communal developmental projects, festivals and funerals in the constituency. On the other hand, the choice of the PNC candidate over the NDC candidate in the 2000 and 2004 parliamentary elections in Bolgatanga constituency was largely due to intra-party factionalism within the NDC after its parliamentary primaries which served to the advantage of the PNC candidate.