Strengthening Electoral Processes in Ghana

The 2016 elections will take place under growing political tension among political parties and public mistrust of the very institutions in place to assure a free and fair democratic election process in 2016. While Ghana has held six democratic elections since 1992 the 2012 elections saw Opposition parties contest the results and the Supreme Court stepped in to verify the Electoral Commission (EC) results. While the Court upheld these results the institutional integrity of the EC was worn thin as was public confidence in the independence of the judiciary. To help address these electoral process issues UNDP has established a multi-donor basket fund initiative valued at USD$4.9M. The Ghana Electoral Process Strengthening initiative is designed to proactively engage the media civil society political parties traditional authorities and religious leaders to pave the way for free and fair 2016 elections in Ghana. It also strengthens the capacity of the Electoral Commission and the political parties while also raising awareness among the general public on the importance of supporting women’s participation in all aspects of Ghana’s electoral and political process. The multi-donor basket fund initiative is managed by UNDP. The project will benefit the entire population of Ghana contributing to peaceful free and fair elections in all 275 constituencies and 29 000 polling stations across the country. The intermediate outcomes are: (1) Strengthened electoral administration mechanism; (2) More factual objective balanced and gender sensitive media coverage of election-related issues and events; (3) Enhanced participation of women and political parties in the electoral process.; and (4) Enhanced capacity to conduct peaceful elections..

The project will benefit the entire population of Ghana contributing to peaceful free and fair elections in all 275 constituencies and 29 000 polling stations across the country solidifying Ghana as a beacon of democratic stability in the region. The intermediate outcomes are: (1) Strengthened electoral administration mechanism; (2) More factual objective balanced and gender sensitive media coverage of election-related issues and events; (3) Enhanced participation of women and political parties in the electoral process.; and (4) Enhanced capacity to conduct peaceful elections.