Democratic Elections as a Determinant of Good Governance in Africa: A Comparative Study of the Gambia and Ghana

Abstract

Democratic elections and democratic governance in Africa have been major issues of debate for scholars around the world, focusing on arguments surrounding the nature that democracy in Africa should take in terms of the western style of democracy or developing Africa’s unique democracy. As a contribution to this conversation, this study discusses the conduct and implications of democratic elections and the state of democratic governance in Africa, using Ghana and the Gambia as case studies. Within the framework of democratic governance, the study adopts a comparative approach based on an exploratory research which employs qualitative methods to achieve the objectives of the research. It relies on both primary sources of data, including interviews, and secondary sources of data, including data from institutions such as Electoral Commissions from both countries under study, to conclude that elections are a central indicator but not the only indicator of democratic governance in Africa. Based on other indicators such as the existence of rule of law, accountability, representation, pluralism and participation in governance, the study further concludes that both countries still have a long way to go in terms of its practice of democratic governance. To this end, the study identifies some challenges that should be addressed by both countries to improve upon its practice of democratic governance, including inadequate accountability, low levels of participation by the citizens in local governance, the proliferation of party-sponsored violence, ineffective law enforcement system, and ineffective representation of the people.