Can Election Settle a Political Contest Devoid of a Political Compromise? The Ghanaian Experience

This seminar report, based on a session held in Addis Ababa on January 20, 2009, uses the Ghanaian experience to examine whether elections can resolve political contests in the absence of political compromise. The seminar concludes that elections are not isolated events but are embedded within a broader political culture and body polity, meaning their effectiveness in conflict prevention depends on the surrounding political context.

• The seminar concluded that elections are not standalone events but are part of a broader body polity. Consequently, the ability of an election to prevent or manage conflict is dependent on the political culture and context in which it occurs, creating a symbiotic relationship where a sound electoral process strengthens democracy, and democracy in turn facilitates free and fair elections.
• In Africa, presidential elections have become particularly contentious and are often viewed as a zero-sum game because control of the presidency equates to control over a country's political and economic future. This trend is evidenced by the fact that there is typically less dispute over parliamentary election results compared to presidential ones, as seen in Kenya and Zimbabwe.
• The Ghanaian election serves as a significant case study for good practices because it remained stable despite two high-risk factors: a very narrow margin of victory between the two candidates and the recent discovery of oil, which increased the stakes of state control.
• Effective management of the electoral process requires several key components: an impartial and professional Electoral Commission with job security to ensure independence; citizen ownership of the process; the timely release of results; and the practice of conceding defeat to foster a culture of integrity and compromise.
• To reduce the high stakes associated with the presidency and prevent destructive political contests, the seminar suggests distributing power across various state institutions and ensuring strong democratic governance to maintain respect for the rules of the game.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2009). Can Election Settle a Political Contest Devoid of a Political Compromise? The Ghanaian Experience. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/GHANAELECTSEMREP.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Can Election Settle a Political Contest Devoid of a Political Compromise? The Ghanaian Experience. 2009. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/GHANAELECTSEMREP.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Can Election Settle a Political Contest Devoid of a Political Compromise? The Ghanaian Experience |date=20 January 2009 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/GHANAELECTSEMREP.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2009can, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Can Election Settle a Political Contest Devoid of a Political Compromise? The Ghanaian Experience}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2009}, month = jan, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/GHANAELECTSEMREP.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }