Ghanaians want more political cooperation

I am not sure of the origin of the word “opposition” and why post elections in democracies, the losing parties became known as the opposition. By virtue of their name, one expects opposition political parties wherever they are to “oppose” the ruling party (government in power).

In the case of Ghana’s democracy, the history of the Fourth Republic has revealed the extent to which the main opposition party can go, at any given time, to oppose the ruling party on matters of legislation and public policy. 

However, eight elections later, it is beginning to look like our partisan edges have sharpened and political polarisation is deepening. In my opinion, the composition of the 8th Parliament has exacerbated the problem of partisanship and polarisation. 

Last week, the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) released findings from Ghana’s Afrobarometer Round 10 conducted this year. The release included responses to a question the survey has asked five different times (2008, 2012, 2014, 2022, and 2024.) The question simply asks Ghanaians to state their agreement with one of two statements – Statement 1: After losing an election, opposition parties should monitor and criticise the government in order to hold it accountable; Statement 2: Once an election is over, opposition parties and politicians should accept defeat and cooperate with the government to help it develop the country.

From here on, I refer to Statement one as “opposition” and Statement two as “cooperation.” What do Ghanaians have to say about this?

Opposition or Cooperation?

In 2008, when the question was first asked, 41 per cent (were in favour of opposition, while 57 per cent were in favour of cooperation. In 2012, the split was 39 per cent in favour of opposition compared to 60 per cent in favour of cooperation. 

In 2014, the split was 31 per cent in favour of opposition compared to 60 per cent in favour of cooperation. In 2022, the split was 33 per cent in favour of opposition compared to 57 per cent in favour of cooperation. 

It is instructive to note that, between 2014 and 2022, those in favour of opposition increased by five percentage points, while those in favour of cooperation declined by a similar margin.

In 2024, the split was 33 per cent in favour of opposition compared to 66 per cent in favour of cooperation. Compared to 2022, support for opposition declined (-8 percentage points) while support for cooperation increased (+9 percentage points). 

The overall picture is clear. Ghanaians want more cooperation between opposition political parties and government and not the acrimony sometimes observed.

Partisans

What do partisans want? In 2008, the main opposition party was the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Among survey respondents who identified themselves as NDC, 50 per cent were in favour of opposition while 47 per cent were in favour of cooperation. 

In 2012, the main opposition party was the New Patriotic Party (NPP).  Among survey respondents who identified themselves as NPP, 45 per cent were in favour of opposition while 55 per cent were in favour of cooperation.

In 2016, with NPP still being the main opposition party, survey respondents who identified themselves as such were split, 45 per cent in favour of opposition and 52 per cent in favour of cooperation. 

In 2022, the main opposition party was the NDC. Among survey respondents who identified themselves as NDC, 44 per cent were in favour of opposition compared to 52 per cent who favoured cooperation.

The full dataset for 2024 is not yet publicly available to conduct a partisan analysis of responses to this question. Nonetheless, it is clear that overall, partisans want cooperation over opposition. Granted the position of the NDC changed from opposition in 2008 to cooperation in 2022.

Lesson

There is an important point to keep in mind. The fact that Ghanaians support cooperation over opposition should not be interpreted as not being in support of an accountable government. Between Afrobarometer Round 4(2008) and Round 9 (2022), the percentage of Ghanaians who strongly agree/agree that “Parliament should ensure that the president explains to it on a regular basis how his government spends taxpayers’ money” increased significantly from 66 per cent to 82 per cent. 

Another point worth noting about accountability. Between Afrobarometer Round 3 (2005) and Round 9 (2022), the percentage of Ghanaians who strongly agree/agree that “The president must always obey the laws and the courts, even if he thinks they are wrong” increased from 74 per cent to 82 per cent. 

Ghanaians overall and even those who consider themselves partisan in our political spaces want more cooperation than opposition. They also want accountable governance where both the legislative and judicial arms of government act as a check on the executive. 

Perhaps this is the signal needed to help tame the partisan rancour sometimes observed in Parliament.

The writer is the Project Director, Democracy Project