By Linus Kaikai
On my kicker tonight I find it hard not to admire and draw some lessons of the democratic processes of the west African nation of Ghana imperfect as those processes may be Ghana conducted elections on Monday and last night.
President nana akufo-addo secured a second term with a narrow 50.59% against his rival former President John mahama 47.36% events in Ghana find relevant here tonight because of the myriad similarities in their respective journeys towards the environs of democratic societies.
let me pick just a few of those similarities first birthday shins were founded by strong-willed independence struggle leaders whose respective regions were associated with single part of it associate and iron-fisted rule the second similarity is both Kenya and Ghana returned to political pluralism at the same time holding their respective multi-party elections in 1992.
The similarities do not end there let me go straight to the potential lessons for Kenya from the Ghanaian democratic experience since 1992 first through fairly democratic elections Ghana has entrenched in multi-party system in which two parties have emerged consistently dominant the ruling new patriotic party npp and the opposition national democratic Congress NDC has been switching places between government and opposition 1792 the election and Monday is the earth since 1992 and both npp and NDC have won the presidential elections four times each this entrenched party system has given Ghanaian voters predictable political choices with the npp and NDC overtime developing some form of ideological identitive astute political parties in a democracy.
Compare that with the Kenyan political story between 1992 and tonight the country has been governed by six different political outfits that have you met the definition of a political party some of the so-called $30.00 in order to even mutate mid-term as witnessed when president kibaki’s national rainbow coalition not broke up in 2005 with the president appointed minister from the opposition benches warranty does is being witnessed tonight by the ruling party jubilee is virtually in government with the main opposition or gms simplifies Ghana has been more disciplined and structured in its party politics in a way Kenya has never been since 1992 then comes the second lesson from Ghana integrity to conduct credible elections and the maturity to handle closely contested elections in Ghana.
The margins in presidential elections are very tight at one time the election was decided by a difference of about 40000 foot that Ghanaians generally handle the election outcomes in a way Kenya as not accept one’s in 2002 just like Kenyans Ghanaians dispute election results and some contests have ended up in court but those contests are barely violent or bloody show in Ghana.
The responsible for an election to be won or lost and at the same time for baby panda and Christmas and all to remain alive one more lesson the nullified 2017 presidential election
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