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The Political Participation Of Ghana

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One thing that is worth of notice is that, though the opposition had grievances, they did not resort to violence but the law. This also shows the confidence that people have developed and are developing in the court system and it is important that institutions are strengthened to consolidate democracies.
Political participation has been impressive though voter turnout has fluctuated. The lowest turn-out was the 1992 elections. This election recorded a turnout of 53.75%. It is not surprising because, Ghana was returning from over a decade of military rule. The 1996 general elections also recorded a voter turnout of 76.09%; 2000 general elections, 61.7%; 2004 general elections had a voter turnout of 85.1%. This is the highest voter turnout ever recorded. The first round of the 2008 general election was 69.52% and the presidential run-off had a turnout of 72.91%. The 2012 general elections also had a voter turnout of 80.15%.
It will be simple to define political participation by using voter turnout in elections as the only yardstick. Hence, it is imperative for governments and for that matter the Ghanaian government to include citizens and get their interest in the affairs of the state. Thus political participation should not end at the ballot.

3.0 How Ghana made it?
Arguably, the answer lies in ‘multi-institutional’ efforts and reforms. Institutions such as political parties, civil society organisations, state institutions, and the Electoral Commission as well as

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