All
 
|
 
 


The 2020 presidential election and the political situation in Ghana
 
PIIS032150750014282-2-1
DOI10.31857/S032150750014282-2
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Tatyana Denisova 
Occupation: Leading Research Fellow
Affiliation: Institute for African Studies, RAS
Address: Moscow, Russian Federation
Sergey Kostelyanets
Occupation: Head, Centre for Sociological and Political Sciences Studies, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Affiliation: Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow
Journal nameAsia and Africa Today
EditionIssue 3
Pages49-57
Abstract

At the end of 2020, the first term of the presidency of Nana Akufo-Addo came to an end. On December 7, a general election was held, which resulted in the victory of the incumbent president. However, he received just over half of the votes. To a certain extent, this was due to an increase in corruption, a deterioration in the financial situation of citizens in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the destabilization of the political situation caused by separatist demonstrations in the east of the country and their harsh suppression. Nevertheless, the authors note the government's successes in the socio-economic sphere: significant economic growth in the pre-COVID-19 period, effective implementation of programs for the development of industry, agriculture and infrastructure, the introduction of free school education, the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs, etc.

 

Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the reasons and preconditions for the emergence of the separatist sentiment in the Volta region, which is populated by the Ewe. It is pointed out that Ewe separatism is rooted in the colonial period and that, to a certain extent, all governments of independent Ghana had to deal with it. It is concluded that the idea of gaining independence by the region is futile, primarily due to the introduction of divisive and repressive tactics by the government, which has so far been successful in curbing separatism. Besides, the separatist demands are untenable, since they do not reflect the will of all ethnic groups living in the region. The paper points out that the attacks by the separatists in September 2020, which were timed to coincide with the presidential election, indicate that the visible political stability in Ghana masks serious and long-standing unresolved problems.

KeywordsGhana, Nana Akufo-Addo, presidential elections, COVID-19, separatism, political situation, West Togoland
AcknowledgmentСтатья опубликована в рамках проекта «Посткризисное мироустройство: вызовы и технологии, конкуренция и сотрудничество» по гранту Министерства науки и высшего образования РФ на проведение крупных научных проектов по приоритетным направлениям научно-технологического развития (Соглашение № 075-15-2020-783).
Received15.01.2021
Publication date28.03.2021
Number of characters30835
Cite  
100 rub.
When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 909

Readers community rating: votes 0 

1. Final results of Ghana election 2020: Nana Akufo-Addo win 2020 elections - Ghana Electoral Commission. BBC News. 09.12.2020. https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-55237020  (accessed 11.11.2020)
2. 24-hour results declaration possible - EC. GhanaWeb. 30.11.2020. https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/politics/24-hour-results-declaration-possible-EC-1122446  (accessed 10.12.2020)
3. Profile of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President-elect of Ghana. Ghana Business News. 09.12.2016. https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2016/12/09/profile-of-nana-addodankwa-akufo-addo-president-elect-of-ghana  (accessed 09.12.2020)
4. Ghana election: John Mahama declared winner. BBC News. 10.12.2012. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-20661599  (accessed 09.12.2020)
5. Mbaku J.M. The Ghanaian elections: 2016. Brookings. 15.12.2016. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2016/12/15/the-ghanaian-elections-2016  (accessed 09.12.2020)
6. Ghana elections: Vote count begins in tight contest. Al Jazeera. 8.12.2016. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/8/ghana-elections-vote-count-begins-in-tight-contest  (accessed 10.12.2020)
7. Patrick S., Adjei N.Ghana: Akufo-Addo and Mahama go head to head in December. The Africa Report. 4.02.2020. https://www.theafricareport.com/22942/ghana-akufo-addo-and-mahama-go-head-to-head-in-december  (accessed 10.12.2020)
8. Ghana: Statistics & Facts. Statista. 2020. https://www.statista.com/topics/3029/ghana  (accessed 12.12.2020)
9. Ghana: Share of economic sectors in the gross domestic product (GDP) from 2009 to 2019. Statista. 18.11.2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/447524/share-of-economic-sectors-in-the-gdp-in-ghana  (accessed 12.12.2020)
10. 232 out of 260 1D1F factories on track - Trade Minister. Myjoyonline. 09.10.2020. https://www.myjoyonline.com/232-out-of-260-1d1f-factories-on-track-trade-minister  (accessed 13.12.2020)
11. One-Village, One-Dam: 437 small earth dams at various stages of completion. FAAPA. 08.07.2020. http://www.faapa.info/blog/one-village-one-dam-437-small-earth-dams-at-various-stages-of-completion  (accessed 14.12.2020)
12. Osei K.O. The End for Ghana’s ‘Power-Cut’ President. The New York Times. 26.12.2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/26/opinion/the-end-for-ghanas-power-cut-president.html  (accessed 15.12.2020)
13. Krawczyk K. Ghana Heads to the Polls: What Matters in This Election? ISPI. 26.10. 2020. https://www.ispionline.it/it/  pubblicazione/ghana-heads-polls-what-matters-election-27988 (accessed 15.12.2020)
14. Ghana. Freedom House. 2020. https://freedomhouse.org/country/ghana/freedom-world/2020  (accessed 15.12.2020)
15. Ghana 2018 Human Rights Report. United States Department of State. 2018. Р. 13. https://www.state.gov/wp-content/  uploads/2019/03/Ghana-2018.pdf (accessed 16.12.2020)
16. Country overview: Ghana Driving mobile-enabled digital transformation. GSM Association. 2017. P. 3. https://www.gsma.com/mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ghana-Country-Overview.pdf  (accessed 17.12.2020)
17. Donkor A. For Ghana’s Democracy to Thrive, Citizens Need to Engage. Foreign Policy. 20.11.2020. https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/11/20/ghana-democracy-citizen-engagement-elections-2020  (accessed 18.12.2020)
18. Mwainyekule L.H., Frimpong F.B. The Pandemic and the Economy of Africa: Conflicting Strategies between Tanzania and Ghana. Digital Government: Research and Practice. September 2020. Vol. 1, № 4, Article 33, pp. 1-8.
19. Atta-Asamoah A. Recent attacks raise questions about how secessionist tendencies have been managed in post-independence Africa. Institute for Security Studies (ISS). 06.11.2020. https://issafrica.org/iss-today/are-africas-borders-sacrosanct-ghanas-western-togoland-crisis  (accessed 18.12.2020)
20. Suuk M., Nebe C., Sakpa D. Ghana's Western Togoland region declares sovereignty. DW. 25.09.2020. https://www.dw.com/en/  ghanas-western-togoland-region-declares-sovereignty/a-55051426 (accessed 18.12.2020)
21. Laglo A. British Togoland Movement: an Offshoot of Historical Creations. UIT. May 2019. Р. 44. https://munin.uit.no/bitstream/handle/10037/15753/thesis.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=1  (accessed 18.12.2020)
22. Western Togoland: 60 Members of Homeland Study Group Released. UNPO. 22.10.2020. https://unpo.org/article/22103  (accessed 19.12.2020)
23. Shaban A.R.A. Ghana referendum vote towards creation of six new regions. Africanews. 27.12.2018. https://www.africanews.com/2018/12/27/ghana-referendum-for-creation-of-six-new-regions-underway  (accessed 19.12.2020)
24. Dzigbodi-Adjimah K. Oti Region: The First Step Towards The Balkanisation of Volta Region. The Catalyst Newspaper. 21.08.2017. https://www.facebook.com/thecatalystgh/posts/oti-region-the-first-step-towards-the-balkanisation-of-volta-region-prof-dzigbod/1428598393876281  (accessed 19.12.2020)
25. Bulgarelli A. Togoland’s lingering legacy: the case of the demarcation of the Volta Region in Ghana and the revival of competing nationalisms. The Australasian Review Of African Studies. December 2018. Vol. 39, № 2, pp. 222-238.
26. Oduor M. Ghana deploys military in the volatile Volta region ahead of election. Africanews. 30.11.2020. https://www.africa-news.com/2020/11/30/ghana-deploys-military-in-the-volatile-volta-region-ahead-of-election  (accessed 19.12.2020)
27. Denisova T.S., Kupriyanov P.I. 2017. To the 60th Anniversary of the Independence of Ghana. Asia and Africa today. № 10. (In Russ.)

Система Orphus

Loading...
Up