Ghana's Elections – Regional Implications and Lessons from Electoral Peace Structures and Processes
- Autores: Miriam Juan Torres
- Localización: Notes internacionals CIDOB, ISSN-e 2013-4428, Nº. 167, 2017, págs. 1-4
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
The lessons to be drawn from Ghana’s elections should not solely lie in the outcome but in the process.
What is most relevant about this election is the implementation of institutionalised processes and the signalling effect the election has on the rest of the continent.
It is the first transfer of power between an incumbent and the opposition leader. There is the sense of “a president’s right to a second term”.
The willingness of the electorate to accept the results and perceive the electoral process as legitimate is closely tied to the reliability of the Electoral Commission which played a fundamental role.
The economy took centre stage in this election. Over the last few years, Ghana’s economy has been underperforming: it grows steadily but slower than expected.
A collection of institutions formed the structures and processes that have been adopted to ensure peace and enhance response capacity.
The most innovative aspect of the Women’s Situation Room in Ghana was the effort to include youth in the entire process because of the widespread notion that if violence occurs it is usually at the hands of young men.
