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Ghana Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Ghana
Official Name: Republic of Ghana
Capital: Accra
Area: 238,540 square kilometres (92,101 square miles)
Major cities (Population)
Accra 1,687,000 (1995)
Kumasi 399,300 (1990 estimate)
Tema 180,600 (1990 estimate)
Tamale 151,100 (1988 estimate)
Sekondi 116,500 (1990 estimate)
Population: 17,453,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 3 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Constitutional democracy
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from the United Kingdom)
Constitution: New constitution approved 28 April 1992
Voting Rights: Universal at age 18
Government
Ghana is officially a multi-party democracy, although in practice the country is still in transition from a dictatorship to a democracy. The president is head of state and head of government, but must now work with the elected legislature to establish laws, and cannot rule by military edict. The voting age is 18. Ghana is divided into ten administrative regions.
Recent History
In 1901, after several years of battles with the Ashanti people of the interior, the whole of present-day Ghana became a British protectorate.
Nationalists began to organize in the 1940s, and in 1951 the Convention People’s Party (CPP), under the leadership of Kwame Nkrumah, won control of the country. The CPP won further elections in 1954 and 1956, and on 6 March 1957 Ghana became the first black African colony to gain independence from Britain. Three years later the country became a republic, and Nkrumah was elected president. He pursued socialist policies, and became increasingly dictatorial. In 1966, while on a state visit to China, he was deposed by a military coup.
A National Liberation Council (NLC) ruled until a general election was again held in 1969. Three years of civilian rule followed before the military, under Lieutenant Colonel Ignatius Acheampong, seized power. In 1978 Acheampong was replaced by Lieutenant General Frederik Akuffo, who legalized political parties and set a timetable for elections.
In May 1979 Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, with a group of junior officers and enlisted men, staged a coup. It initially failed and Rawlings was imprisoned. However, the army mutiny spread and Rawlings was released to head an Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). Dozens of government officials were arrested; eight were executed, including former heads of state Acheampong and Akuffo. Rawlings drafted a new constitution, held elections, and just six months after gaining power turned the government over to the newly elected Dr Hilla Limann and national assembly. However, in December 1981, with the economy on the verge of collapse, Rawlings again seized power. He outlawed all political parties, suspended the constitution, and appointed a seven-member Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
In 1988 a new national assembly was established, but members could not belong to political parties. The assembly was to represent different walks of life rather than political views. It was eventually determined that Ghana would return to democratic rule. A constituent assembly, composed of elected and appointed officials, helped draft a constitution to legalize political parties and provide for elections. Presidential elections were held in 1992, and Rawlings was elected president. The parliamentary elections that followed were won by the National Democratic Congress (NDC); the opposition parties boycotted the elections, claiming the earlier presidential elections had been rigged.
Reforms to the electoral system were made in the subsequent four years, and Jerry Rawlings’ re-election in December 1996 was widely believed to be fair. The opposition accepted its defeat in the presidential elections and took its place in the parliament; Ghana now has a truly multi-party legislature. Rawlings was inaugurated in January 1997. The same month, Ghanaian Kofi Annan took office as secretary-general of the United Nations (UN).
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