Opposition political parties
Ghana’s multiparty democracy is dominated by two major political parties, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Even though there are other registered political parties, their organisational strength and activities are unable to match those of these two.
These two main political parties have taken turns as the main opposition political parties in Ghana throughout the Fourth Republic. The politics served by the main opposition party after turnover elections in Ghana is quite intriguing to observe.
Whatever feelings are generated in following opposition party politics, I still count them as one of the safeguards of Ghana’s democracy.
Why we need opposition political parties
Every democracy needs a vibrant opposition political party for several reasons. Consider these two.
First, they play an important police patrol role on the good governance highway by constantly watching and highlighting areas where they believe the ruling government is falling short.
Typically, ruling parties tend to defend and support the actions and decisions of the government and are, therefore, not inclined to play this role.
Second, with members of their party holding seats in Parliament, a vibrant opposition serves as a critical voice of scrutiny on matters such as the budget, proposed legislation, policies, etc.
Again, ruling party Parliamentarians are more likely to offer support for the government on matters that come before the legislative body. It takes opposition political parties to fill this oversight gap.
Opposition political parties have played this role through activities such as organising demonstrations, regularly holding press conferences, participating in debates on the floor of Parliament, demanding hearings, granting media interviews and filing court cases, to mention a few.
In short, Ghana needs vibrant opposition political parties. Whatever the case is, their activities provide citizens with an alternative voice and perspective on governance matters and prevent ruling parties from controlling and offering them a one-sided narrative.
The problem with opposition political parties
But opposition political parties present citizens with a dilemma, especially in duopolies like Ghana, where two main parties have taken turns, every eight years, to play the police patrol role. First is the issue of their electoral motives.
Are the demands for accountable and transparent governance driven by genuine concerns for Ghana’s democracy and good governance? Or are they driven by a desire to gain political advantage in anticipation of the next election?
Second, and related to the above, is the difficulty citizens face in reconciling the positions and rhetoric adopted by a political party when in government versus when serving as the main opposition political party.
The rhetoric is sometimes inconsistent, reinforcing the point raised above as to whether the real concern is good governance or electoral advantage.
Third, Ghana’s political parties face a trust deficit. What makes it complicated is the shifting nature of trust in opposition political parties, shaped by partisan affiliation and captured well by the Afrobarometer survey.
For example, in Round 3 (2008), when the NPP was in power, 32 per cent of NDC partisans expressed trusting opposition political parties “a lot” compared to 23 per cent of NPP partisans.
In Round 6 (2014) with the NDC in power, 37 per cent of NPP partisans expressed “a lot” of trust in opposition political parties compared to 18 per cent of NDC partisans.
In Round 10 (2024), when the NPP was in power, 22 per cent of NDC partisans expressed “a lot” of trust in opposition political parties compared to seven per cent of NPP partisans.
In essence, citizens trust opposition political parties better when it is their preferred political party in opposition compared.
What do citizens want?
In Afrobarometer Round 4 (2008), the survey asked whether after losing elections, opposition political parties should a) monitor and criticise the government in order to hold it accountable or b) cooperate with government to help it develop the country.
In that year, 57 per cent preferred cooperation, with 41 per cent opting for monitoring and criticism. In the most recent round of the survey (2024), 66 per cent preferred cooperation, with 33 per cent opting for monitoring and criticism.
Citizens want opposition political parties that cooperate with the government to help develop the country.
Does it mean the citizens do not want a vibrant opposition political party?
Or that they do not support accountable governance?
No. In the 2024 survey, 79 per cent of Ghanaians agreed that “parliament should ensure that the president explains to it regularly how government spends taxpayers’ money.”
Between Round 4 (2008) and Round 10 (2024), the percentage of Ghanaians saying “the president must always obey the laws and the courts, even if [he] thinks they are wrong,” increased significantly from 62 per cent to 79 per cent.
So, Ghanaians do support accountable governance.
What should opposition political parties do?
The task of opposition political parties is a delicate balancing act of combining cooperation with the police patrol role while keeping in mind the issue of trust, because every democracy needs a vibrant opposition political party.
The writer is Project Director, Democracy Project
