On December 7, Ghanaians will head to the polls to vote for a president and 275 members of the country’s unicameral parliament. With current president Nana Akufo-Addo stepping down at the end of his second term, his vice president, Mahamudu Bawumia, is the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s candidate. John Mahama, who served one presidential term before losing to Akufo-Addo in 2016 and 2020, is again the presidential candidate for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party in 2024. The president, who serves as head of state and head of government, is directly elected for up to two four-year terms; members of parliament are elected for four-year terms in single-member constituencies. Both this year’s presidential and legislative contests are expected to be highly competitive – in the 2020 contest, the NPP and NDC won 137 seats each, and the NPP gained a slim majority from the parliament’s one independent member.

This assessment was last updated on September 9, 2024.

Recent elections in Ghana have been considered free and fair by international observers. The country’s Electoral Commission (EC) enjoys a high degree of public trust, though the NDC’s allegations of political bias and vote-rigging in favor of the NPP in 2020 sought to raise doubts about the electoral outcome, tarnishing the EC’s reputation. The Supreme Court rejected the NDC’s legal challenge to the 2020 results, which former president Mahama alleged was due to a lack of independence of the court. Ghana has undergone peaceful transfers of power between the NDC and NPP since 1992, though several election-related violent incidents in 2020 raised concerns that such violence, fanned by inflammatory rhetoric from prominent political figures, could present a threat to a peaceful voting process in December.

The country has been gradually recovering from an economic crisis after the government defaulted on much of its debt in 2022. However, high inflation rates and youth unemployment have continued to hurt Ghanaians, sparking a wave of protests against government spending and economic mismanagement in 2023. While inflation has begun to fall, voters’ continued discontent with the country’s economic performance under the current NPP-led government is likely to play a major role in their decision-making at the polls.

Although Ghana has a relatively strong record of upholding political rights and civil liberties, discrimination against women persists. LGBT+ people face widespread discrimination, intimidation, and violence, which has escalated since the passage of a draconian anti-LGBT+ bill in parliament. There are some weaknesses in judicial independence, key governance institutions, and the application of the rule of law. Corruption remains endemic, and poor public service delivery, particularly for rural populations, present challenges to government performance. Politically motivated violence remains a concern.

Ghana has a score of 78 out of 100, with 100 representing the strongest defenses against digital election interference. Freedom House’s Election Vulnerability Index is based on a selection of key electoral indicators. The score reflects a history of free and fair elections and a free operating environment for private citizens, NGOs, and the opposition, despite restrictions on online freedom of expression that have been used against journalists, activists, and everyday internet users who speak critically about political figures.

Freedom House has identified the following as key digital interference issues to watch ahead of election day:

• Information manipulation: Political parties and other actors in Ghana recruit paid social media commentators to influence online discussions around elections and have been known to offer money to secure favorable coverage from journalists. During the last election cycle, the NPP reportedly paid over 700 social media commentators to promote its successes, while pro-NDC websites created to smear the NPP impersonated news websites and the Media Foundation for West Africa’s fact-checking platform, further muddying the information environment. Ahead of the 2024 vote, observers have noted the use of bot accounts, influencers, and party activists by both the NDC and NPP in coordinated campaigns that spread misleading information and troll their opponents. Additionally, those spreading false narratives online have begun incorporating AI-manipulated images and audio clips. Online information manipulation that seeks to boost parties’ online popularity or pass off partisan narratives as independently fact-checked may make it more difficult for voters to access reliable information about the 2024 election and could further exacerbate the threat of electoral violence.
• Harassment and intimidation: Journalists, activists, and marginalized groups, particularly LGBT+ people, are frequently targets of online harassment, with some facing physical violence in retaliation for their comments about political figures online. In 2023, a former communications officer for the NDC assaulted a journalist who criticized him on his online talk show. As the December elections draw closer, the threat of harassment or violence may encourage people to self-censor.
• Arrests for online expression: Ghanaian journalists and ordinary internet users have previously been detained on false publication charges for posts about President Akufo-Addo and other government authorities. Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a prominent activist who accused a government minister of attempted bribery on Facebook, faces an ongoing legal battle on defamation charges. Although lengthy detentions or sentences are uncommon, fears of arrest or legal action may discourage people from sharing critical views online about candidates, parties, or other political actors ahead of the election. 

Ghana is rated Free in Freedom in the World 2024, with a score of 80 out of 100 with respect to its political rights and civil liberties, and Partly Free in Freedom on the Net 2023, with an internet freedom score of 65 out of 100. To learn more, please visit the Ghana country reports in Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, and Freedom House’s Ghana country portal.