Ghana's Fourth Republic in Perspective

In the just ended 2012 general elections in Ghana, there is no dispute that every country needs the media for its growth and  development. Ghana has undergone five successful elections since 1992 when the military handed power to the civilians. 

The Fourth Republic was inaugurated on January 7th 1993 with the swearing in of H. E. Flt. Lt. Rawlings as President and his running mate, Mr. Kow Nkansah Arkaah as Vice President. On December 7th 1996, Flt. Lt. Rawlings was re-elected for a second four-year term as a President, with Prof. John Evans Atta Mills as his running mate. In the 1996 elections, President Rawlings beat Mr. J. A. Kufuor of the NPP to second place. In the Parliamentary elections, the NDC won 133 seats, the NPP 61 seats, PCP 5 seats and PNC 1 seat.

In the year 2000, the third Presidential and Parliamentary elections of the Republic were held on December 7th when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won 100 parliamentary seats while the National Democratic Party (NDC) obtained 92 seats. The People’s National Convention (PNC) obtained 3 seats, independent candidates 4 seats and Convention People’s Party (CPP) 1 seat. 

In the Presidential elections, none of the seven candidates had 50% plus one vote as required under the Constitution. Thus in the Presidential run-off on December 28th, 2000, between the two candidates with the highest votes, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor (NPP) emerged the winner with 56.90% of the valid votes cast while Professor John Evans Atta-Mills of the (NDC) had 43.10%. In December 2004 President John Agyekum Kufuor won a second and final four-year term as President of Ghana.

 In the 2008 Presidential elections, non of the seven candidate had 50% plus one as required by the constitution so the Presidential run-off held on December 28th 2008  was a straight contest between Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the NDC and Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP  but could not also produce a clear winner until Tain Constituency decided and Professor Mills emerged as the President-elect.

 

Professor Mills was Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings, and he stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Professor John Evans Atta Mills born on 21 July 1944 won the Fourth Presidential and Parliamentary elections of the Republic, on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). He was therefore inaugurated on 7 January 2009, having defeated the ruling party candidate that is the New Patriotic Party. 

The just ended Presidential Elections was an interesting one. Coming at the heels of the demise of the President Professor Mills of Ghana who was also the flag-bearer candidate of the NDC and the death of the former vice president Alhaji Aliu Mahama saw different permutations.

Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP and John Mahama of the NDC were the strong favorite and it proof to be so. The election result which was a carbon copy of what happened in the 2008 presidential election saw the NDC candidate John Mahama winning one touch with 50.70% -47.74%.

However, the opposition NPP says it will contest the result, accusing the governing NDC party of conspiring with commission staff to rig the 7th Dec. 2012 poll.

The other common theme was “One Touch Victory” at either re-election or second term. Both Presidents Rawlings (NDC) and Kufuor (NPP) won their second terms by avoiding a second round. Now NDC has won a second term with one touch victory. The question is, would this be repeated and become the practice or the norm and should all elected Presidents and parties expect an automatic first round win at re-election?

The first and most obvious one is the first or Christian names of all the elected Presidents under the Fourth Republican Constitution. They all bear the name JOHN. That may be mere coincidence but why is the presidency in the Fourth Republic becoming the Johns’ purview? Jerry JOHN Rawlings, JOHN Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, then the late JOHN Fifi Attah Mills and now Ghana has elected JOHN Dramani Mahama. The second question is the issue of incumbency never losing. Rawlings won re-election, Kufuor did and now Mahama has won re-election, though this is his first election but a second term for the party he represents. Is the Ghanaian electorate legitimizing automatic second term for Presidents or political parties once elected for a first term? Indeed, caretaker President asked for a second term for NDC because both Rawlings and Kufuor were given second terms. Has the 2012 Presidential Election outcome formalized a second term in Ghana’s democratic dispensation?