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A look at the evolution of Ghanaian elections
Ahead of the 2016 Ghana General Elections, Pulse takes you through all the elections the country has witnessed till date.
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It was a Parliamentary election, because the country operated the Parliamentary system of government. This meant that the party which won most seats would automatically have its leader become Prime Minister, or, as it was known then, "Leader of Government Business."
The election pitched the Kwame Nkrumah's Convention People's Party (CPP), formed in 1949, against Joseph Boakye Danquah's United Gold Coast Convention, formed in 1947. It was also a clash of their slogans - the CPP's radical "Self-government now!" against the UGCC's conservative "Self-government within the shortest possible time."
Out of the 38 contested seats, the CPP overwhelmingly won 34. The rest of the seats were won by the UGCC (2) and independents (2).
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This victory ushered in Kwame Nkrumah as 'Leader of Government Business', a post that would be officially changed to Prime Minister in 1952.
1954 Parliamentary Elections
Nkrumah and his C.P.P secured a second electoral victory in 1954. They won 71 of 104 seats.
Their closest challengers were the Northern People's Party, a party founded by of the Northern Region's top politicians - the likes of Simon Diedong Dombo, Alhassan Braimah and Mumuni Bawumia (father of current NPP Vice Presidential candidate Mahamudu Bawumia) - to protect the interests of the Northern Region.
Formed just two months before the elections, the NPP still managed to impressively win 12 seats.
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Surprisingly, the Ghana Congress Party (GCP), an offshoot of the erstwhile UGCC (made up of UGCC members as well as disappointed CPP defectors) only managed a single seat.
Nkrumah thus got another term as Prime Minister.
1956 Parliamentary Elections
The emergence of the National Liberation Movement (NLM), a new opposition force formed by one Baffour Akoto, the Asantehene's linguist, necessitated the need for another elections just two years after 1954.
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With independence looming, the NLM and the CPP disagreed on many salient national issues - the NLM, for instance, wanted Ghana to adopt a federal system of governance so that the Ashanti Region could retain some degree of autonomy, but the CPP was firmly against it, preferring to stick to a unitary system. The tug of war between the two parties meant the Colonial Government decided to hold one last elections to decide which of them would be in power to lead the Gold Coast to independence.
Nkrumah and his CPP cemented their political dominance by earning a third straight victory, capturing 71 of the 104 seats. The NPP won 15 seats, while the NLM won 12.
Nkrumah's term as Prime Minister was extended, and he got the honour of leading the country to independence on March 6, 1957.
1960 Presidential Elections
In order for Ghana to become a Republic in July 1960, it became necessary to hold popular elections to decide the adoption of the Republican constitution as well as the choosing of a President.
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88.5% of the people voted in favour of the constitution as against 11.5% who didn't want it.
In the Presidential elections, Nkrumah, contesting on the ticket of his CPP, won an astonishing 89.1% of the vote, as against the 10.9% obtained by his opponent, J.B Danquah, who contested on the ticket of the United Party (U.P), an amalgamation of the strongest opposition parties.
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In 1964, the CPP organized a referendum for Ghana to adopt a one-party state. They won by a huge margin: an unreal 99.9% of the people voted yes.
This meant that when Nkrumah's first term expired in 1965, he didn't have to face popular elections, because his CPP were the only legal political party in the state. Within the CPP, members had also voted to make him life president, consolidating his seemingly infinite hold on power.
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1969 Parliamentary Elections
Nkrumah's overthrow in February 1966 was followed by three years of military rule under the coup makers, the National Liberation Council (NLM), helmed by J.A Ankrah and later, A.A Afrifa.
The NLC, in 1969, decided to return Ghana to constitutional rule by organizing elections.
The 1969 constitution returned Ghana to the Parliamentary system of governance.
The main contesting parties were the Progress Party (PP), an offshoot of the UGCC, led by Kofi Abrefa Busia, and the National Alliance of Liberals (NAL), led by Komla Agbesi Gbedemah, a one-time close friend of Nkrumah who also served in his goverment as a minister.
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The PP won 105 of the 140 seats, with the NAL winning 29.
Dr. K.A Busia thus became Prime Minister of the Second Republic of Ghana.
1970 Presidential Elections
Since the Second Republican constitution was a Parliamentary one - featuring a dual executive - elections had to be held to choose the Head of State (Busia was the Head of Governement).
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The race, in August 1970, was between Justice Edward Akufo Addo (father of current NPP Presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo) and I.B Asafu Adjaye.
It was decided by an electoral college. Akufo Addo beat Asafu-Adjaye by 123 votes to 35 to become Head of State. During the gap, Nii Armah Ollenu,the 2nd Republican Speaker of Parliament, had acted as President.
1979 Elections
Busia only lasted two years in power. His government was overthrown in January 1971 - military coup led by I.K Acheampong.
Acheampong formed the National Redemption Council, and later the Supreme Military Coucil (SMC), to rule the country. He was later usurped in a Palace Coup in 1975 by his deputy, F.W.K Akuffo, who ruled under SMC II until June 4, 1979, when he was ousted in another coup led by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.
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Rawlings stayed loyal to the SMC II's plan of returning Ghana to democratic rule, allowing the scheduled elections of June 1979 to happen.
The major constesting parties were People's National Party, an offshoot of the CPP, led by Dr Hilla Limann, the Popular Front Party (PFP), led by Victor Owusu, and the United National Convention (UNC), led by William Ofori Attah. The PFP and the UNC were both offshoots of the UGCC, and its subsequent forms of UP and PP. They would have contested as one, but for a split based on interest differences.
Out of the 140 seats, the PNP won 73, the PFP won 42, while the UNC won 13.
In the Presidential race, Hilla Limman (PNP) won 35.3%, Victor Owusu 29.9% and William Ofori Attah (UNC) 17.4%.
The inability of any candidate to secure the required 50%+1 majority forced a second round of voting, where Limman won 62% to Owusu's 38% to become President of Ghana's 3rd Republic.
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1992 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
Hilla Limman only lasted till December 31, 1981, when J.J Rawlings staged another coup to come back into power. Rawlings ruled under the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) until 1992, when Ghana returned to constitutional and democratic rule, ushering in the Fourth Republic.
The 1992 Elections were mainly between the National Democratic Congress (NDC), an offshoot of the PNDC led by Rawlings, and the New Patriotic Party, an offshoot along the UGCC, UP, PP, PFP/UNC line, led by Professor Albert Adu Boahen.
Rawlings emerged victorious with 58.3% compared to Boahen's 30.4%.
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The NDC were dominant in the Parliamentary elections, sweeping 189 of 200 seats. The NPP boycotted it, citing doubts over the credibility of the Presidential elections.
1996 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
In 1996, there were 6 contesting political parties (NDC, NPP, PNC, EOLE, PCP and DPP).
For the Presidential Elections, alliances were formed. The NDC, EOLE and DPP formed the Progressive Alliance (PA), led by J.J Rawlings while the NPP and PCP formed the Great Alliance (GA), led by John Agyekum Kufuor. The PNC stood alone, under Edward Mahama, who is in fact a contestant for this year's polls.
The NDC/PA won the Presidential vote by 57.4%, compared to the NPP/GA's 39.6%.
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In the Parliamentary Elections, the NDC secured 133 of 200 seats, while the NPP got 61 seats.
2000 Presdidential and Parliamentary Elections
For the first time in the country's history, Ghana managed a succesful change of government from one party to another in 2000, when the NPP's JA Kufuor beat the NDC's John Evans Attah Mills to the presidency.
After a 48.2% (NPP) to 44.5% (NDC) first round result, a run-off was needed, and the NPP, riding on a slogan of 'Positive Change', managed to secure victory with a final 56.9% to the NDC's 43.1%.
In the Parliamentary results, the NPP unseated the NDC to claim a majority of 100 seats (out of 200). The NDC ecured 92 seats.
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J.A Kufuor thus became the second president of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
2004 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
Kufuor won another term by defeating Prof. Mills with a one-touch victory. He secured 52.5% of the votes against Mills' 44.6%.
The number of Parliamentary seats went up from 200 to 230, and the NPP won 128 seats to secure a majority. The NDC managed 94 seats.
2008 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
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For the second time in the Fourth Republic, Ghana experienced a change in power from one party to another in a closely fought elections that went beyond a first round. The incumbent NPP, under the leadership of new flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, lost against the NDC, who were being led by Prof. Attah Mills for the third consecutive time.
Akufo Addo had the lead in the first round, polling 49.1% compared to Mills' 47.9%.
However, the second round saw the supporters of the other parties throwing their weight behind Prof. Mills and his «Yeresesamu» (We're changing) slogan, as he secured a narrow 50.2% win against Addo's 49.8% (a 0.4% difference).
In the Parliamentary elections, the NDC sprung into the majority by winning 116 of the 230 seats, with the NPP managing 107 seats.
2012 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
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The unfortunate demise of Prof. Mills (the first Ghanaian leader to die in office) in July 2012 saw the rise of his vice, John Dramani Mahama, to the Presidency in an acting capacity until the 2012 Elections.
Mahama was eventually given the mandate to stand on the ticket of the NDC against Akufo Addo, who was attempting the highest seat of the land for the second time.
Mahama ended up achieving a 50.7% straight victory, beating Akufo Addo's 47.7%.
The number of Parliamentary seats shot up from 230 to 275, and the NDC secured as many as 148 of these to consolidate their majority place. The NPP won 123 seats.
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