Afrobarometer report: Ghana’s Democracy Soars Among Peers …86% of voters say they exercise franchise in freedom

The latest Afrobarometer report has revealed that 86% of Ghanaians say they vote freely without any pressure.However, 9% said they are somewhat free to exercise their franchise in Ghana. The data is contained in the Africa Insight 2024 report released by Afrobarometer.

The report comes at a time when Ghana is heading towards another general election this December. This will be the ninth general election since the beginning of 4th Republic in 1992.

Ghana was ranked sixth out of 39 countries that the survey covered from 2021 to 2023, with The Gambia, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tanzania taking the top five positions respectively,with the highest mark at 92%.

Ghana’s neighbouring countries, Burkina Faso, Togo and Cote d’Ivoire scored 54%, 50% and 47% respectively, with Nigeria scoring 65%.

The report said that the quality of the election has taken centre stage in 2024, as it is a year packed with 23 national elections on the continent.

According to the report, 75% of Africans believe in elections as the best way to choose their leader, as more than six in ten citizens support elections in all surveyed countries.

Meanwhile, the report also observed a weakening support for elections, mentioning an 8% decline over the past decade.

Describing it as one of the troubling trends in popular commitment to democratic norms and practices, the report said the development may reflect some disillusionment after too many elections marred by low quality, disputes, and/or violence.

They also think that it could be due to the recognition that elections by themselves do not guarantee accountable governance or reliable public services.

“Citizens’ assessment of their most recent national elections as largely free and fair is down by 7 points since 2011/2013, from 66% to 59%.

And fewer than half of Africans think their countries’ elections ensure that members of Parliament (MPs) represent the views of voters (42%) or enable voters to remove leaders who fail to do what the people want (45%) (Figure 13).

Moreover, only four in 10 citizens (39%) say they trust their national electoral commission “somewhat” or “a lot,” while 57% express little or no trust,” the report said.

MILITARY RULE

In the same Afrobarometer report released this week, Ghana’s democracy scored high despite a decline in belief in democracy across Africa.

The survey on Africans’ perspectives on democracy, conducted across 30 countries, found that support for democracy has consistently declined in Africa over the past decade, while opposition to military rule has weakened by 11 points across these countries.

The survey said 45% of Africans think their countries are mostly or completely democratic and only 37% say they are satisfied with the way democracy works in their countries.

The report found that more than half of Africans (53% across 39 countries) are willing to accept a military takeover if elected leaders “abuse power for their own ends.”

According to the report, 55% of Ghanaians reject any calls for military intervention in Ghana’s governance.

The survey also found that 96% of Ghanaians believe they are free to choose whom to vote for, with 95% saying they are free to join any political organization. Also, 84% say they are free to express their thoughts without fear of intimidation.

NO FAITH

However, the survey found a worrying trend of loss of faith in elected leaders, particularly members of parliament.

The report indicated that 14% of the population believe their MPs often or always listen to them, while 35% say their local government councillors listen to their concerns.