Ghana History

History

In 1984, under international and domestic pressure for a return to democracy, the PNDC created a National Commission on Democracy to study ways to establish participatory democracy in Ghana. A 258-member Consultative Assembly was established and charged to draw up a draft constitution for a Fourth Republic. The PNDC accepted the constitution, and it was put to a national referendum on 28th April 1992 - it received 92% approval. On 18th May 1992 the ban on party politics was lifted in preparation for multi-party elections. The PNDC and its supporters formed a new party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which won the democratic election - Flt. Lt. J. J. Rawlings was inaugurated as President. In 1996 the opposition fully contested the presidential and parliamentary elections, which were described as peaceful, free, and transparent by domestic and international observers. In that election, President Rawlings was re-elected with 57% of the popular vote. Under Rawlings’ rule, Ghana become one of the most politically stable and prosperous nations in West Africa. The World Bank declared it a model of development for the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

On 7th December 2000 John A. Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the largest share of the presidential vote. The transitional election was declared both free and fair by a large contingent of domestic and international monitors and President Kufuor took the oath of office on 7th January 2001, becoming the first elected president in Ghana’s history to succeed another elected president. He was re-elected in December 2004 for a second four-year term, becoming the first civilian president (without a military background) to fully serve his tenure and to be re-elected. Kufour’s government of appears to enjoy broad support among the Ghanaian population.