The Motivation for Election Petitions in Ghana’s Electoral Politics

The paper examines the motivations for election petitions in Ghana and the implications for Ghana’s electoral politics and integrity. The study deployed the rational choice and political efficacy theories, qualitative approach and an exploratory design with data from 16 in-depth interviews. The paper found that the motivations for election petitions by losing political parties and candidates in Ghana have been varied. While some petitioners were sincerely interested in promoting institutional efficiency, others did it for political expediency. Thus, the motivations found include politicians’ genuine desire to promote electoral reforms, exposing perceived manipulation and administrative failures, appeasement of party supporters, and an attempt to increase legitimacy of malpractices claims. We also identified opportunity for electoral reforms, barriers for post-election violence, abuse of court processes as the implications of election petitions on Ghana’s electoral politics and integrity. The study recommends that political actors must protect the electoral process and the independence of the Judiciary. This is because impartial handling of election petitions by the courts will not only signify autonomy and professionalism but also help to build trust in the courts and the country’s electoral processes.