An Impact Assessment of Donor Support and Elections: The Case of Ghana's Fourth Republic, 1992-2000

Abstract

Ghana‟s government, was a totalitarian government from the early 1980s until both external and domestic pressures was borne on the regime to liberalize. In 1992, the authoritarian government liberalized and fresh elections were conducted to that respect. In view of the above, the Electoral Commission encountered difficulties in the process of managing the elections. The major challenges were: technical advice, financial constraints; material for election challenges; problems of registration; manpower challenges; equipment difficulties; electoral system bottlenecks; administrative constraints; voter education difficulties; communication problems and transportation challenges. With respect to the above, the donor community salvaged the Electoral Commission with the needed assistance. The assistance given were technical advice; the electoral system to employ; financial assistance; communication gadgets; fuel; transportation; electoral materials; Internal measures of addressing electoral disputes; administrative training; party and candidates agents training and stipends; civic education; voter education; media assistance; political party assistance; judicial assistance to reform; and civil society organizations aid to serve as Election Observers in the elections to serve as a mechanism of international legitimacy and recognition and a bastion for the acceptance of the result. In the research, a mixed result was revealed about the impact of the assistance to Ghana maiden elections from 1992 to 2000. The effects were both negative and positive with 1992 leading in the negative, whilst a positive and negative outcome in 1996 and the 2000 elections. However, the absolute outcome is that, the country has held three elections, with the exception of the 1992 election, which was rejected because the election was rigged, but the 1996 and 2000 election results were accepted, there have changes of government from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the New Patriotic Party in 2000. As a consequence, there was a peaceful turnover in 2000, which resulted in the nation attaining the brink of consolidating democracy and has breed perpetual peace; development; growth and development cooperation at long last; human rights recognized; state and Para-state agencies and institutions abuses were halted; due diligence honoured and the rule of law adhered to in this regard. In view of the above success of holding successive elections from 1992 to 2000, the nation is currently having a positive image and a beacon of democracy of democracy in west Africa.