How Electoral Integrity Matters in an Era of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Experience from Ghana’s Eighth General Election

ABSTRACT

This article examined whether, in the pandemic, the conduct of Ghana’s 2020 general elections conformed to acceptable international standards or not? Analysing data drawn from 120 respondents based on face-to-face and telephone interviews, the study established that the measures for pre-election and polling day activities guaranteed the integrity of the elections. The electoral laws and system, the mechanics for voter registration, polling, and balloting were fair, transparent, and inclusive. The fair application of the electoral laws, openness, and stakeholders’ active participation in the electoral process obviated fraud. Both domestic and international observers validated the election result declared by the EC because the processes satisfied the standards for free and fair elections even though Ghanaian diasporas were disenfranchised, and a few administrative and technical challenges occurred. Hence, electoral reform targeting efficient management, enlargement of the franchise to capture diasporas’ votes, and an electoral system that supports proportional representation albeit a possibility of proliferation of parties, would improve electoral integrity for deepening democratic development.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) has defined Coronaviruses as RNA viruses (SARS) that cause respiratory, hepatic, and neurological diseases in domestic, wild animals and were first discovered in humans in late 2019 in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly throughout the globe.

2 Beyond elections as the only game in town, Gunther and Diamond (1995) extend the definition to include when there has been an adoption of democratic institutions, processes, and values by the political class and the masses.

3 Elklit and Reynolds (2002) define it as a process comprises a number of basic steps (numerous elements), which are at the same time constitutive and largely chronological.

4 See Ghana: cumulative coronavirus cases 2020–2022 | Statista.