Assessment of Citizens’ Perception on the Independence of Ghana’s Electoral Commission

Abstract

The independence of election management bodies is very crucial and decisive in achieving credible and legitimate elections and sustaining a country’s democracy. The study assessed citizens’ perception on the independence of Ghana’s Electoral Commission. Descriptive survey technique was used with a sample size of two thousand respondents. Simple random sampling was used to sample respondents to answer the questionnaire and interview which were the research instruments. Result findings showed that all respondents (100%) said that the Electoral Commission is truly independent in spite of the challenges the body faces and all the respondents said that the role played so far by the Electoral Commission of Ghana has made the ballot box not only become the chosen means for electing political representatives, credible elections are also acknowledged as the only acceptable way to access power. The study concluded that the Electoral Commission of Ghana is independent and one of the best electoral bodies in Africa and elections are one of principal cornerstones for democracy and political stability to thrive. The study recommended that Electoral Commission of Ghana should continue to involve and connect all stakeholders on a regular basis, providing the information they require to partake fully in and appraise the electoral process.

Keywords: Elections, democracy, Franchise, Ghana, legitimate power, electoral commission