Ghana Leads in Voting Freedom: 86% Ghanaians Vote Freely Without Coercion… Afrobarometer Report Reveals

Ghana’s democracy scored high in a recent Afrobarometer report despite a decline in belief in democracy across Africa. The African Insights 2024 report, released by Afrobarometer, measured Africans’ perspectives on democracy.

The survey, conducted across 30 countries, found that support for democracy has consistently declined in Africa over the past decade, while opposition to military rule has weakened by 11 points across these countries. The report found that more than half of Africans (53% across 39 countries) are willing to accept a military takeover if elected leaders “abuse power for their own ends.”

Despite this gloomy picture across Africa, the survey found strong support for democracy among Ghanaians, suggesting an appreciable trust in Ghana’s democratic institutions. It found that an overwhelming 86% of Ghanaians believe they vote freely without pressure during elections, with a whopping 55% of Ghanaians rejecting any calls for military intervention in Ghana’s governance.

This is in spite of the survey finding that fewer than half (45%) of Africans think their countries are mostly or completely democratic, and only 37% say they are satisfied with the way democracy works in their countries. Across the 30 countries surveyed, both indicators show declines of 8 and 11 percentage points, respectively, over the past decade, with satisfaction with democracy dropping precipitously in some of Africa’s most high-profile democracies, including Botswana (-40 points), Mauritius (-40 points), and South Africa (-35 points).

The survey also found that an overwhelming 96% of Ghanaians believe they are free to choose whom to vote for, with a whopping 95% saying they are free to join any political organization, while 84% say they are free to express their thoughts without fear of intimidation.

However, the survey found a worrying trend of loss of faith in elected leaders, particularly members of parliament. A meagre 14% of the population believe their MPs often or always listen to them, while 35% say their local government councillors listen to their concerns.

The strong performance of Ghana, despite a gloomy picture across the continent, reflects measures implemented by the New Patriotic Party Government to protect Ghana’s democracy, making the country an oasis of peace in a turbulent region. Since 2020, Ghana has conducted three successful and incident-free by-elections as well as successful voter registration and transfer exercises.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo recently underscored his government’s unwavering support for a free and independent press in the country, emphasizing that independent media is essential for holding governments accountable and ensuring transparency. Delivering the keynote address at the 3rd African Media Convention, he highlighted the crucial role that a free press plays in the democratic process, assuring his government’s dedication to creating an enabling environment for journalists to work effectively and without fear.

Ghana was also recently ranked as the best-governed nation in West Africa by the prestigious World Economics Governance Index 2024, a United Kingdom (UK) based research organization.