Abstract
The independence of election management bodies is very crucial for the durability and success of every democracy. This paper assessed the independence of Ghana’s Electoral Commission in the conduct of the December 2020 elections using the de jure election management body’s independence framework of institutional, financial, functional and personnel. The paper argues that though the 1992 Constitution guaranteed the independence of the Electoral Commission in all the four crietria, an examination of the institutional design says otherwise. This was exacerbated during the conduct of the 2020 elections through the appointment of the three commissioners, the posture and the behaviour of the officials, perceived bias, total reliance on the executive for budgetary allocations and functional incompetence. As a result, the election suffered credibility and integrity deficits. This has implications for the consolidation of Ghana’s emerging democracy if the dynamics accounting for the lack of independence are not checked and nipped in the bud.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 2361533 |
Journal | Cogent Social Sciences |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Keywords
- Comparative Politics
- election management body
- elections
- Electoral Commission of Ghana
- Electoral politics
- Ghana
- Introductory Politics
- National Democratic Congress
- New Patriotic Party
- Political Behavior and Participation
- Politics & the Media
- Robert Read, University of Lancaster, Lancaster, UK