In Search of ‘Honorable’ Membership: Parliamentary Primaries and Candidate Selection in Ghana

Abstract

With the increasing consolidation of her democracy, Ghana has, once again, become a cause for celebration and a source of pride in Africa. This newfound status as the bellwether state of African democracy makes Ghana ripe for a critical analysis of her democratic institutions. This article places the handling of parliamentary primaries by the two leading political parties in Ghana – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) – under the microscope for closer scrutiny. The article interrogates the nature of these primaries, the procedures that govern their conduct, the factors that determine whether or not they are held, and the extent to which these parliamentary primaries have satisfied or deviated from democratic norms. It concludes that, while tremendous progress has been made in the candidate selection process by both major parties, there is plenty of room for improvement to ensure that the process is sufficiently empowering of voters in the constituencies and, hence, genuinely democratic.

Parties in a Plurality System: Candidate Nomination in Ghana’s Minor Parties

“…The question that needs to be addressed is why these parties nominated candidates even in constituencies they knew they could not win. According to Daddieh & Bob-Milliar (2016), 'the office of the Member of Parliament is a coveted trophy in Ghana' so it is not uncommon to see more candidates (from both major and minor parties) on the ballot paper vying for parliamentary seats during general elections. Despite knowing their strength vis-a-vis the major parties, the minor parties nominated candidates in parliamentary elections not only to win the parliamentary seats; other factors also inspired them to campaign nationally.…”

“…The duopoly of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has seen them maintain a strong presence across the country and between them these two parties have captured at least 95% of parliamentary seats since 1996 (Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2014). Minor parties and independent candidates have managed to capture barely 5% of parliamentary seats (Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2016). These minor parties, including the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC), have been visible in very few constituencies during parliamentary elections, an absence that has been attributed to financial constraints and organisational weakness (Aidoo & Chamberlain, 2014;Ninsin 2006).…”

“…Despite its 'democratic success' (which is largely electoral), the political system is bedevilled by episodes of political violence, the limited capacity of civil society organisations, and excessive presidentialism (Abdulai & Crawford 2010). Generally, the literature on party politics in Ghana has concentrated on the political behaviour and activities of the major parties (Ayee 2011;Bob-Milliar 2012;Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2016;Ninsin, 2016), voter behaviour (Arthur 2009;Fridy 2007;Gyimah-Boadi 2007;Lindberg 2003;Lindberg & Morrison 2005;Nugent 1999Nugent , 2001Nugent , 2007, and party systems (Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2014;Morrison & Hong 2006;Osei 2012;Whitfield 2009). Recently there have been some preliminary works that put minor parties in the spotlight and assess their staying power, performance and the normative role they play in Ghana's political system (Aidoo & Chamberlain 2014;Bob-Milliar forthcoming;Yobo & Gyampo 2015).…”

Untitled

“…The duopoly of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has seen them maintain a strong presence across the country and between them these two parties have captured at least 95% of parliamentary seats since 1996 (Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2014). Minor parties and independent candidates have managed to capture barely 5% of parliamentary seats (Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2016). These minor parties, including the Convention People's Party (CPP) and the People's National Convention (PNC), have been visible in very few constituencies during parliamentary elections, an absence that has been attributed to financial constraints and organisational weakness (Aidoo & Chamberlain, 2014;Ninsin 2006).…”

“…Despite its 'democratic success' (which is largely electoral), the political system is bedevilled by episodes of political violence, the limited capacity of civil society organisations, and excessive presidentialism (Abdulai & Crawford 2010). Generally, the literature on party politics in Ghana has concentrated on the political behaviour and activities of the major parties (Ayee 2011;Bob-Milliar 2012;Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2016;Ninsin, 2016), voter behaviour (Arthur 2009Fridy 2007;Gyimah-Boadi 2007;Lindberg 2003;Lindberg & Morrison 2005;Nugent 1999Nugent , 2001Nugent , 2007, and party systems (Daddieh & Bob-Milliar 2014;Morrison & Hong 2006;Osei 2012;Whitfield 2009). Recently there have been some preliminary works that put minor parties in the spotlight and assess their staying power, performance and the normative role they play in Ghana's political system (Aidoo & Chamberlain 2014;Bob-Milliar forthcoming;Yobo & Gyampo 2015).…”