Electoral Commission and Election Management in Ghana (1993-2008)

Abstract

This study examined the three levels of electoral governance and the extent to which they have contributed to the elections that Ghana‟s Electoral Commission has managed under the Fourth Republic. The practical initiatives undertaken by the Electoral Commission in the area of rule making, rule application and rule adjudication in managing elections in Ghana, were the central issues that the study addressed. The study argued that the constitutional leverage granted to the EC to make instruments to regulate the Ghanaian electoral processes has contributed significantly to the improvements in Ghana‟s electoral governance. The innovations or reforms introduced by the EC which have contributed enormously in the subsequent elections that were conducted after the 1992 elections were made possible due to the potency of regulations enacted by the EC under the Constitutional Instruments. Nonetheless, the study posits that the Electoral Commission is still faced with a number of challenges such as untimely releases of funds to enable it undertake its election activities timeously. Other challenges include, „electoral demons‟ notably, electoral fraud, violence, bloated register, and intimidation of election officials and voters at polling stations which continue to dent the Ghanaian elections. It argued that the most viable option for Ghana to consolidate its democracy require the citizens imbibing and adhering to the dictates of the EC‟s regulations on electoral laws, and also the capacity of the security services to prosecute criminality irrespective of the political coloration of the persons involved. This, the study noted is the surest way of addressing the problem of „electoral demons‟, and non adherence to the dictates of these rules and regulations risked undermining Ghana‟s democratic gains.