Through the campaign, rhetoric has got stronger and accusations of fraud and violence have increased. With the result be too close to call, how will things pan out?
After power was peacefully handed over following Ghana’s agonisingly close presidential run-off in 2008, many praised the nation’s culture of peace and democracy.
But for a country that prides itself on being a beacon of stability in West Africa, the prospect of violence was far closer than most Ghanaians would care to admit.
That presidential election was won by a wafer-thin margin of around 40,000 votes in the second-round run-off, and the elections taking place tomorrow, on December 7, promise to be just as closely fought.
The final campaign rallies were held yesterday in which the incumbent John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and his main rival Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), both reiterated their promises and urged voters to help them over the finish line.
NDC vs. NPP
Since the re-emergence of Ghana’s electoral democracy in 1992, the country has developed a complicated political culture, largely, but not solely, based on ethnicity.
Each party has its ethnic heartlands, but civil servants, teachers and doctors – educated ‘big men’ – who go back from cities to their villages, are often important in influencing people’s votes. Policy, and not just character assassination, has also played an increasingly significant role in this election.
Ultimately, the Ghanaian elections will be decided by three or four swing regions. The heartlands of the ruling NDC are across northern Ghana and in the Volta Region, whilst the opposition NPP holds sway in the Ashanti and Eastern regions. It is the regions of Greater Accra, Brong-Ahafo and Western Region that are likely to decide the result.
The left-leaning NDC, founded by military-ruler-turned-elected-president Jerry Rawlings in 1992, drew on the tradition of Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first leader, and his support base of ‘veranda boys’, trade unionists and cocoa farmers.
On the other hand, the slightly more right-leaning NPP was influenced by the legacy of early Ghanaian politicians such as JB Danquah and Kofi Busia who drew support from intellectuals and professionals, the early Ghanaian elite.