Former Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan has highlighted the threats of vote-buying and vote-selling to Ghana’s democracy.
He stated that vote-buying and vote-selling undermine the democracy of the country because they weaken the people from holding the elected leaders accountable through elections.
Delivering the Constitution Day public lecture on the theme “Reflections on our democracy: The Constitution, Elections and the Judiciary” organised by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) and One Ghana Movement, on Monday, January 8, Dr Afari-Gyan described vote-buying as a shameful spectacle.
He said among other things that “Vote-buying, in days gone by, whatever vote-buying or vote-selling there was, took place in secrecy. What we have now looks like an open market where candidates can freely buy votes and citizens can freely sell their votes in broad daylight while we all look on unconcerned.
“But it is a shameful spectacle because vote-buying and vote-selling are unlawful and they undermine two important principles that underpin our democracy. Vote-buying undermines the idea that we choose our leaders out of our free will and vote-selling undermines the idea that we always hold our elected leaders accountable through elections.
“I believe that our democracy is stifled when election results seize to be a true representation of our verdict on the performance of our leaders, we cannot therefore hold them accountable through elections. That is precisely what the election open market portends.”