VZCZCXRO2607
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHAR #1386/01 2971627
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 231627Z OCT 08
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7149
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 001386 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/W 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GH KDEM PGOV PHUM PINR PREF PREL
SUBJECT: GHANAIAN ELECTIONS: AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY.  Ghana's presidential and parliamentary 
elections are scheduled for December 7.  This cable provides 
background for the framework and process.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  Ghana is governed by the 1992 constitution that created 
the Fourth Republic.  It is a constitutional democracy with a 
strong executive whose power is vested in the President, a 
unicameral Parliament with 230 members, a less powerful 
cabinet and Council of State, and an independent Judiciary. 
 
¶3. The President and members of Parliament are elected for 
terms of four years. The President is limited to two terms in 
office.  MPs can win election with a plurality of the vote 
(first past the post), while the President must win by an 
absolute majority (50% plus one). If no winner emerges after 
the first round in the presidential election, a mandatory 
run-off must take place within three weeks of the initial 
election.  Voting is by secret ballot with non-mandatory 
universal adult suffrage. 
 
THE ELECTORAL PROCEDURE 
 
¶4. An independent seven-member Electoral Commission (EC) 
manages Ghana's elections.  The EC compiles the voter 
register and demarcates electoral boundaries.  It conducts 
and supervises all public elections, and is the only body 
mandated to declare official election results.  The EC 
provides each eligible voter with a photo ID card which must 
be produced at his/her polling station and must match the 
information in the voters' register.  Each of 22,000 polling 
stations is manned by an EC-appointed Presiding Officer and 
an average of five polling assistants.  All registered 
parties and candidates are allowed to have accredited polling 
agents at each polling station.  Polling agents observe 
voting and the vote count and call any irregularities to the 
attention of the Presiding Officer.  Polling agents may 
request one recount of the vote, but the Presiding Officer 
has the final say, except where an appeal to a higher 
authority is permitted. 
 
¶5.  Unarmed uniformed GOG security personnel, drawn from 
police, armed forces, border guards, and correction officers, 
are assigned to polling stations as well.  Domestic and 
international election monitors and observers who have been 
duly accredited by the EC are allowed to visit any polling 
station on election day. 
 
¶6.  Polling stations open at 7 am and close at 5 pm. Voters 
vote behind a screen by placing an inked thumb print in a box 
adjacent to the name, photo, party symbol, and party name of 
their preferred presidential and parliamentary candidate. 
They place their folded ballots in a clear sealed ballot box 
in full view of EC officers, party polling agents, and other 
voters.  After voting they must dip their finger in a bottle 
of indelible ink to prevent the possibility of voting again 
in another precinct. 
 
¶7.  The Presiding Officer officiates over the vote tally, 
which takes place in situ at all polling stations in view of 
party polling agents.  When the count is complete, it is 
recorded on an official register which must be signed and 
verified by the Presiding Officer and all polling agents who 
are present.  Copies of the results are given to the polling 
agent.  This official register is then taken to the EC's 
constituency center, which tallies totals from all of its 
polling stations and faxes the results to the Electoral 
Commission in Accra. 
 
¶8.  Parliamentary results are announced at the constituency 
level.  The EC Chairman is the only person authorized to 
announce the overall vote for the presidential election.  In 
past elections, the presidential results have generally been 
announced 48 to 72 hours after the close of polls. 
 
¶9.  In May 2008, the nine registered political parties signed 
a code of conduct for cooperating with the EC.  It lays out a 
regulatory framework for resolving election related disputes, 
assisting law enforcement agencies, and safeguarding the 
integrity of the electoral process.  The code also 
established an Inter-Party Advisory Committee designed to 
monitor and report breaches of the code. 
 
NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES 
 
¶10.  To run for a seat in Parliament, a candidate must be a 
Ghanaian citizen at least 21 years old and must have lived in 
the constituency for at least 5 years out of the 10 years 
immediately preceding the election.  Candidates must not: owe 
allegiance to any other country; have been convicted of any 
major criminal offense; be a chief; be a public servant in a 
 
ACCRA 00001386  002 OF 002 
 
 
variety of organizations, including the armed forces, police, 
and civil service.  Candidates can be affiliated with an 
accredited political party or can run as independents.  They 
must deposit 500 Ghanaian cedis ($420) with the EC to contest 
an election, and this deposit is returned only to candidates 
who poll 12.5% of valid votes cast in the constituency.  To 
run for President, candidates must meet all qualifications 
required above, but must be at least 40 years old and must 
deposit 5,000 Ghanaian cedis ($4,200) with the EC.  The 
deposit of a presidential candidate is returned only is he 
polls at least 25% of the nationwide votes. 
 
ELECTION FUNDING AND SUPPORT 
 
¶11.  There is no significant state funding of political 
parties or candidates in Ghana other than the provision of a 
limited number of vehicles to political parties.  There is 
also no limit on the amount of money each party and candidate 
can spend on the election campaign.  All presidential 
candidates are entitled to fair treatment and equal time and 
space in the state-owned media. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TEITELBAUM