The democracy we hoped for

In the maiden edition of the Afrobarometer survey (1999), Ghana’s transition to multiparty democracy was six years old.

The sense of optimism for the years ahead was so strong there were no nostalgic feelings for the past. Here are some highlights from the survey.

1. 82 per cent said “the change to democracy in 1992 was good/very good for the country.”

2. 62 per cent agreed that “the best form of government is a government elected by the people” compared to 38 per cent who believed “the best form of government is a government that gets things done.”

3. 74 per cent agreed that Ghanaians were “enjoying a real choice among different political parties and candidates.”

4. Only 26 per cent agreed that “if democracy can’t produce results soon, we should try another form of government” compared to 74 per cent who agreed that “it will take many years for our elected governments to deal with the problems it inherited.”

5. 63 per cent on a preference scale (1-10) gave a score of between six and ten (6-10) when asked how much they liked “our present system of governing with free elections and many parties.”

6. Only 19 per cent, on a preference scale (1-10) gave a score of between six and ten (6-10) when asked how much they liked “the former system of military rule under the PNDC.”

7.  77 per cent said, “democracy is preferable to any other form of government.”

8. 87 per cent said “the President should obey the Constitution” compared to 13 per cent  who said, “the President of Ghana should be able to change the Constitution whenever he chooses.”

9. 85 per cent described Ghana as a democracy.

10. 90 per cent strongly disagreed/disagreed that “the army should come in to govern the country.”

2012 Afrobarometer

By Round 5 (2012) of the survey, the country’s multiparty democracy was 19 years old. Ghanaians were asked to rate how democratic the country was on a scale of 0(undemocratic) to 10(democratic). Here is how they answered based on those who gave the country a score between six and 10– a) 63 per cent (looking back 10 years); b) 66 per cent (presently in 2012) and c) 95 per cent (looking to the future).  

Notice the strong sense of optimism about the future of how democratic Ghanaians expected the country to be. At the same time, eight out of 10 (75 per cent) expressed satisfaction with the way democracy was working.

More importantly, eight out of 10 (83 per cent) still expressed preference for democracy. The preference was strengthened by the extent to which they disapproved of non-democratic forms of government – a) one-party rule (95 per cent); b) military rule (87 per cent); and c) one-man rule (91 per cent).

An additional feather in our cap – the Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM) report, classified the country as a liberal democracy.

2022 Afrobarometer

The most recent Afrobarometer survey was conducted in 2022 at which time the country’s multiparty democracy was 29-years-old. The sentiment was quite different from the strong sense of optimism shown in the 1999 and 2012 surveys.

When asked “do you think that this country is more democratic, less democratic or about the same than it was five years ago?” here is how Ghanaians responded – a) 42 per cent less democratic; b) 21 per cent more democratic; and c) 37 per cent about the same. 

When asked what the future will look like in five years, here is how Ghanaians responded – a) 31per cent less democratic; b) 28 per cent more democratic; and c) 41 per cent about the same.

In the context of the significant declines captured in this round of the survey across areas such as satisfaction with democracy, perceptions of corruption and low trust in institutions, the predominant response of “same” was not a very optimistic one.

In addition, the Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM) report, now classified the country as an electoral democracy.

Nonetheless, the preference for democracy remained strong (77 per cent), as well as the disapproval of non-democratic forms of government – a) one-party rule (90 per cent); b) military rule (68 per cent); and c) one-man rule (88 per cent).

Our respect for democratic norms such as using elections to choose leaders (84 per cent), supporting two terms as limits for Presidents (72 per cent) and demand for more political parties (76 per cent) remains strong.

Implications for the 2024 Election

I continue to argue that Ghanaians have made their peace with democracy. I am convinced of this because the Afrobarometer survey captures very well our a) preference for democracy; b) rejection of non-democratic alternatives and c) respect and support for democratic norms. These have not fundamentally changed over nine rounds of the survey between 1999 and 2022.

However, in addition to the Afrobarometer, other democracy and good governance indices point to challenges with the country’s democratic architecture. That is why I believe the state of Ghana’s democracy and how to address the challenges must be a central issue in this election. At this stage, the economic issues are taking centre stage but dear candidates, democracy matters too.

The writer is the Project Director, Democracy Project