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Politics of Ghana

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Politics of Ghana
Constitution
Executive
Legislative
Judiciary
Elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations
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Politics of Ghana takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president of Ghana is both head of state and head of government, and of a two party system. The seat of government is at Golden Jubilee House. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.[1]

The constitution that established the Fourth Republic provided a basic charter for republican democratic government. It declares Ghana to be a unitary republic with sovereignty residing in the Ghanaian people. Intended to prevent future coups, dictatorial government, and one-party states, it is designed to establish the concept of powersharing. The document reflects lessons learned from the abrogated constitutions of 1957, 1960, 1969, and 1979, and incorporates provisions and institutions drawn from British and American constitutional models. One controversial provision of the Constitution indemnifies members and appointees of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) from liability for any official act or omission during the years of PNDC rule. The Constitution calls for a system of checks and balances, with power shared between a president, a unicameral parliament, a council of state, and an independent judiciary.

Shortly after independence, the dominant political party in Ghana established a one-party authoritarian system of government. Prior to its democratic transition in 1992, Ghana had one-party rule and military rule.[2] The foundations of Ghanaian democracy are rooted in the 1992 Constitution which established an independent Electoral Commission and independent court system.[2] The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Ghana a "flawed democracy" in 2022.[3][needs update]

Executive Branch

Nana Akufo-Addo is established in the Office of the Presidency, together with their Council of State. The president is head of state, head of government, and commander in chief of the armed forces. They appoints (buffalo) the vice president. According to the Constitution, more than half of the presidentially appointed ministers of state must be appointed from among members of Parliament.[4]

Main office-holders
Office Name Party Since
President Nana Akufo-Addo New Patriotic Party 7 January 2017
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia New Patriotic Party 7 January 2017

Nana Akufo-Addo is established in the Office of the Presidency, together with his Council of State. The president is head of state, head of government, and commander in chief of the armed forces. He also appoints the vice president. According to the Constitution, more than half of the presidentially appointed ministers of state must be appointed from among members of Parliament.[4]

The outcome of the December 2012 elections, in which John Dramani Mahama was declared President by the Ghana Electoral Commission,[5][6][7] was challenged by Nana Akufo-Addo, Mahamudu Bawumia and Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey at the Supreme Court of Ghana, which came out with the verdict that Mahama legally won the 2012 presidential election[8][9][10]

This precedent which was set by Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP party in 2012 was followed by John Dramani Mahama the then president, and now opposition leader and the NDC party when they petition the Highest Court of the Land to overturn the election victory of Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP party on the grounds that the victory was illegal.[11][12][13]

Legislative Branch

Legislative functions are vested in Parliament, which consists of a unicameral 275-member body plus the Speaker. To become law, legislation must have the assent of the president, who has a qualified veto over all bills except those to which a vote of urgency is attached.[14]

Members are elected for a four-year term in single-seat constituencies by simple plurality vote. As it is predicted by Duverger's law, the voting system has encouraged Ghanaian politics into a two-party system, which means that there are two dominant political parties, with extreme difficulty for anybody to achieve electoral success under the banner of any other party. Elections have been held every four years since 1992. Presidential and parliamentary elections are held alongside each other, generally on 7 December.

History

Further information: Political history of Ghana

Recent political developments

Nana Akufo-Addo, the ruling party candidate, was defeated in a very close election by John Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) following the Ghanaian presidential election, 2008.[15][16] Mills died of natural causes and was succeeded by vice-president John Dramani Mahama on 24 July 2012.[17]

Following the Ghanaian presidential election, 2012, John Dramani Mahama became President-elect and was inaugurated on 7 January 2013.[18] Ghana was a stable democracy.[19]

As a result of the Ghanaian presidential election, 2016,[20] Nana Akufo-Addo became President-elect and was inaugurated as the fifth President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and eighth President of Ghana on 7 January 2017.[21] In December 2020, President Nana Akufo-Addo was re-elected after a tightly contested election.[22]

Judicial branch

Main article: Judiciary of Ghana
Supreme Court of Ghana.

The structure and the power of the judiciary are independent of the two other branches of government. The Judiciary of Ghana is responsible for interpreting, applying and enforcing the laws of Ghana, and exists to settle legal conflicts fairly and in a more competent way.[23] The Supreme Court of Ghana has broad powers of judicial review. It is authorized by the Constitution to rule on the constitutionality of any legislation or executive action at the request of any aggrieved citizen. The hierarchy of courts derives largely from British juridical forms. The courts have jurisdiction over all civil and criminal matters. They include the Superior Courts of Judicature, established under the 1992 Constitution, and the Inferior Courts, established by Parliament. The Superior Courts are, from highest to lowest, the Supreme Court of Ghana, the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice, and the ten Regional Tribunals. The Inferior Courts, since the Courts Act 2002, include the Circuit Courts, the Magistrate Courts, and special courts such as the Juvenile Courts.[24]

In 2007, Georgina Wood became the first-ever female chief justice of the Ghanaian Supreme Court.[25] On May 11, 2011, Nana Akufo-Addo nominated Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo the Chief Justice of Ghana to replace Georgina Wood. She was officially inaugurated into the position on June 19, 2017[26][27] and she retired on 20 December 2019.[28] On Tuesday, January 7, 2020, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, sworn into office Kwasi Anin-Yeboah as the next Chief Justice of Ghana replacing Sophia A. B. Akuffo.[29][30][31] He retired on 24 May 2023 after having served 21 years as a judge and 3 years as the head of the Judiciary of Ghana.[32][33][34] The current Chief Justice is Gertrude Araba Esaaba Sackey Torkornoo, she was sworn-in into office on 12 June 2023.[35][36][37]

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Ghana

Ghana is divided into sixteen regions:[38]

Region Capital
Ashanti Kumasi
Ahafo Goaso
Bono Sunyani
Bono East Techiman
Central Cape Coast
Eastern Koforidua
Greater Accra Accra
Oti Dambai
Northern Tamale
North East Nalerigu
Upper East Bolgatanga
Upper West Wa
Volta Ho
Western North Sefwi Wiaso
Savannah Damongo
Western Sekondi-Takoradi

International organization participation

Ghana is member of ACP, AfDB, AU, C, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ghana - Government and society". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b Oduro, Franklin; Selvik, Lisa-Marie; Dupuy, Kendra (2023), "Ghana", Democratic Backsliding in Africa?, Oxford University Press, pp. 112–136, doi:10.1093/oso/9780192867322.003.0005, hdl:20.500.12657/60999, ISBN 978-0-19-286732-2
  3. ^ Democracy Index 2023: Age of Conflict (PDF). Economist Intelligence Unit (Report). 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 June 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b "The political framework of Ghana - Economic and Political Overview - Nordea Trade Portal". NordeaTrade. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Ghana election: John Mahama declared winner". BBC News. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Mahama declared winner of Ghana election". Aljazeera. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  7. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Incumbent wins Ghana's presidential election | DW | 09.12.2012". DW. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Ghana election: NPP challenges John Mahama's victory". BBC News. 28 December 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Ghana's Main Opposition Party to Challenge Election | Voice of America - English". voanews. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  10. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Ghana's Supreme Court upholds election result | DW | 29.08.2013". DW. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  11. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Ghana opposition seeks to overturn Akufo-Addo's election win | DW | 30.12.2020". DW. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Ghana: Supreme Court throws out NDC petition on presidential election results". The Africa Report. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  13. ^ 2020 ELECTION PETITION HEARING, 9 February 2021, archived from the original on 11 December 2021, retrieved 23 May 2021
  14. ^ "Parliamentary Detail". cpahq. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  15. ^ Kokutse, Francis (3 January 2009). "Opposition leader wins presidency in Ghana". USA Today. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  16. ^ Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, "The 2008 Freedom House Survey: Another Step Forward for Ghana." Journal of Democracy 20.2 (2009): 138–152 excerpt.
  17. ^ "Atta Mills dies". The New York Times. 25 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  18. ^ "Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama sworn in". Sina Corp. 7 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  19. ^ "Elections in Ghana". AfricanElectionsTripod. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  20. ^ "What the world media is saying about Ghana's 2016 elections – YEN.COM.GH". yen ghana. 7 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  21. ^ "2016 Presidential Results". Ghana Electoral Commission. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  22. ^ "Ghana election: Nana Akufo-Addo re-elected as president". BBC News. 9 December 2020.
  23. ^ "Judicial Service of Ghana | ARAP-Ghana | Accountability, Rule of law, and Anti-Corruption Programme". ArapGhana Europe. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  24. ^ "Ghanaian criminal court system". Association of Commonwealth Criminal Lawyers. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  25. ^ IAWL (7 March 2021). "Women in Leadership: Justice Georgina Theodora Wood". African Women in Law. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Sophia Akuffo, Biography". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  27. ^ GhanaPoliticsOnline.Com (12 May 2017). "President Nana Addo appoints Justice Sophia Akufo as Chief Justice". GhanaPoliticsOnline.com. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  28. ^ Tigo, Joshua (29 November 2019). "Ghana Bar Association eulogizes Chief Justice". Adomonline. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, Biography". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Nana Addo nominates Anin Yeboah as new Chief Justice". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  31. ^ Service, Judicial. "Justice Anin Yeboah is 14th Chief Justice of Ghana". www.judicial.gov.gh. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  32. ^ "Justice Anin-Yeboah officially retires; Justice Dotse takes over". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah retires today". MyJoyOnline. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  34. ^ info@theghanareport.com, Gloria KAFUI Ahiable / (24 May 2023). "Chief Justice Anin Yeboah Retires Today, Marking The End Of Illustrious Judicial Career". The Ghana Report. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  35. ^ "Prez Akufo-Addo swears in new Chief Justice Torkornoo". 12 June 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  36. ^ "Justice Gertrude Torkornoo sworn-in as Chief Justice". Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana. 12 June 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  37. ^ GNA (12 June 2023). "Torkornoo takes office as new Chief Justice". Ghana News Agency. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  38. ^ "Map & Regions in Ghana". Ghana Permanent Mission to the United Nations. Retrieved 17 September 2023.

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