A political scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah Asante, has blamed Ghana’s recurring incidents of election-related violence on a culture of impunity and political expediency among the country’s political actors.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, Dr Asah Asante said successive governments have failed to hold perpetrators accountable, allowing violent behaviour to fester and repeat during elections.
“One of the things that has brought us this far is impunity. Political actors, because of political expediency, benefit from this. So when people commit these acts and win power, they don’t punish them,” he stated.
He noted that the continued failure to sanction security personnel and party supporters involved in violent acts during elections emboldens others to act with disregard for the law.
“You saw how eight people were shot in the 2020 election. What has happened to that? We sat down here, we talked about it, but end of story,” he lamented.
Dr. Asah Asante’s comments come on the back of a new Interior Ministry report linking the deaths recorded during the 2020 and 2024 general elections to the use of firearms by police, military, and party supporters across several regions. The report indicated that the incidents resulted in 15 deaths and over 40 injuries.
The political analyst stressed the need for the state and citizens to demand accountability and ensure that those who breach electoral laws are punished to serve as a deterrent.
“If we, as a society, rise and demand accountability, I’m sure we’ll go far,” he said. “We need to strengthen education that elections are a contest of ideas and choice — you either win or lose and prepare to come back. Violence has no place in elections.”
Dr Asah Asante also cautioned political leaders against inciting their supporters to engage in violence and later abandoning them once in power. He emphasised that building a culture of issue-based politics and enforcing sanctions against offenders are essential to safeguarding Ghana’s democracy.
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