Voting for Democracy in Ghana. The 2004 Elections in Perspective Vol.2

Ghana's 2004 elections were another milestone in the country's transition to a mature democracy. The essays in this volume cover about 50 constituencies studied during the 2004 elections. They assess on the bases of evidence from each set of constituencies the quality of democratic governance, focusing on key issues such as political participation, the dynamics of political choice, the electoral system as well as the challenges and prospects of democracy. Some of the major conclusions are that few Ghanaians are registered party members though they take active part in other political activities, electoral politics may be captured by a few wealthy individuals and groups if the issue of party financing is not addressed dispassionately and promptly; local/community factor and concerns are the greatest influence on voters choices; factors such as ethnicity do not have a decisive influence on voting behavior even where they appear visibly powerful in electoral politics. Above all Ghanaians appreciate the value of competitive elections.