The Third Peaceful Transfer of Power and Democratic Consolidation in Ghana by Emmanuel Graham
[email protected] Former Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant Department of Political Science, University of Ghana Ransford Gyampo
[email protected] Associate Professor, Political Science Department, University of Ghana. Pamphilious Faanu
[email protected] Graduate Assistant, Department of Political Science University of Windsor, Windsor Ontario, Canada Eric Yobo1
[email protected] PhD candidate Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, School of Public Service and Governance Abstract This paper examines Ghana’s drive towards democratic consolidation and maturity after a third peaceful transfer of political power. It argues that even though some successes have been made, any attempt at describing Ghana’s democracy as consolidated, would mean condoning mediocrity and lowering the bar of democratic consolidation. From the minimalists’ view of democratic consolidation, the paper concedes the successes made after three turnover and peaceful transfer of power. 99 Africology: The Journal of Pan African Studies, vol.10, no.5, July 2017 However, this paper takes the view that Ghana’s electoral processes continue to be saddled with monumental flaws that undermine the integrity of elections and poses a threat of democratic relapse. From the maximalists view, the study points to some successes in terms of the existence of a multi-party system, the implementation of some electoral reforms, the existence of vibrant civil society and media as well as the acceptance of democratic norms behaviourally, attitudinally and constitutionally by the ordinary Ghanaian citizenry and political elites. These achievements notwithstanding, the study identifies several deficits of democratic consolidation including excessive powers of the executive president, ethnic or tribal politics, post-election violence, limited policy influence of civil society, as well as the deliberate effort at tagging civil society with a view to gagging them.