Political Vigilantism and Democratic Governance in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

Abstract

Ghana’s fourth attempt at constitutional democratic governance which started in 1992 has been plagued with negative acts of political vigilantism. Political vigilante groups play a key role in securing electoral victory for their parties. But they are also key agents in pushing their parties to opposition. Vigilante groups, particularly those belonging to the party that won elections have over the years, taken the laws of the country into their own hands, forcibly ejected officials of previous administration from their apartments and physically assaulted them, as well as engaged in seizures of public property and assets in the custody of public officials in an uncoordinated manner. These acts have fuelled polarization in Ghana’s body politic and undermined the nation’s drive towards democratic maturity. What accounts for the rise in the activities of vigilante groups? How useful are these groups to political parties? In what specific ways do vigilante groups pose a threat to Ghana’s democratic governance? These and other allied questions are addressed in this article. Keywords: Ghana, Political Vigilantism, Political Clientelism, Political Party, Democratic Governance Ransford E. Gyampo, Associate Professor, University of Ghana, E-mail: vangyampo@yahoo.com. Emmanuel Graham, M.A Student, University of Windsor, E-mail: kofigraham@gmail.com Bossman E. Asare, Senior Lecturer, University of Ghana, E-mail: bossasare@gmail.com