Ghanaian Politics 101

Huh? Well, I’ll explain.

First, the basics. Since 1992, elections have been held every four years, in December, a month after the US elections. Ghana has a multi-party system but there are two major political parties at the top which are the current NPP (New Patriotic Party) and the former NDC (National Democratic Congress). Can you guess the supposed Republican and the supposed Democratic party?

 Alright, that wasn’t too difficult was it? It just so happens, that the NPP uses an elephant as its symbol as does the US Republican party. When in 2000, Bush won the US presidency signalling a change in the leadership of the US, Ghanaians took it to mean that they too would see a change. And they did.

The charismatic Bill Clinton, first US president to visit Ghana, and his equally charismatic Ghanaian counterpart Jerry John Rawlings were both democratically elected in 1992 and again in 1996. I should mention though that JJ Rawlings was head of state of Ghana for most of my life! Liberalism and socialism were replaced with George W. Bush and John Kufuor in 2000. Bush and Kufuor then held on to their stations in the 2004 elections surprisingly and under them the rich only got richer, and the poor, well? Except, it would be a disservice to the latter to compare him to Dubya. I’m just saying.

So if McCain wins in November, should we then expect NPP to hold on to the realms with their candidate Akufo-Addo? Or does the sensation that is Obama signal a return to NDC for Ghana by way of Atta-Mills? Hmmm!!! Lets begin the countdown to November/December 2008 presidential elections.

One thing for sure, I pray for peaceful elections in Ghana. Please no remake of Kenya 07. Thank you.

I leave you with the battle of the billboards!