The Church and the Quest for Peaceful and Credible Elections in Ghana
Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong 
Issue: Vol.4 No.6 21st June 2023 Article 6 pp.761-773
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023466 | Published online 21st June, 2023
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
The article is a critical reflection on the role of the church in the search for credible and peaceful elections in Ghana. Ghana has had eight general elections under the 4th Republic since 1992. The elections have been characterised by violence, cheating, and loss of property and in some instances lives. The church, civil society organizations, advocacy groups, donor agencies, etc. have played various roles to ensure free, fair, and credible elections. The general elections in Ghana however are not devoid of electoral challenges. The article argues that despite the challenges associated with general elections in Ghana, the church’s contribution over the years is still relevant and inevitable and therefore must be deepened for future general elections. The article pays attention to reports on general elections in Ghana by key organizations like the Electoral Commission of Ghana, the European Union, the African Union, the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), and the Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa on elections in Ghana. The article concludes with a recommendation that the church must deepen its programmes, resources, and capacity of its personnel for future elections as the nation keeps searching for lasting solutions to its electoral challenges. The quest for credible and peaceful elections should be done on the principles of dialogue, consensus building, and the very Constitution which governs the nation. The church must deepen its public education, mediation, reconciliation, and spiritual support dimensions to the electoral process.
Keywords: Public Theology, African Christianity, Alliance for Christian Advocacy Africa, General Elections in Ghana
Anquandah, James. Agenda Extraordinaire: 80 Years of the Christian Council of Ghana, 1929-2009. Accra: Asempa Publishers, 2009.
Opuni-Frimpong, Kwabena. “Doing Public Theology in African Christianity: A Reflection on Communiques by Churches in Ghana.” E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies 7, no. 11 (November 15, 2021): 190–200. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20217111.
APPENDIX
A: REPORTS
Alliance for Christian Advocacy African’s Report on the 2020 General Elections on Dec 10, 2020.
African Union’s Report on the 2020 General Elections on Dec 9, 2020.
CODEO’s Report on the 2020 General Elections December 8, 2020.
Electoral Commission of Ghana’s Report on the 2020 General Elections on Dec 9, 2020.
European Union’s Report on the 2020 General Elections.
B: INTERVIEWS
Most Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante on Religion, Peace and Security in Ghana October 21, 2019.
Lawyer Sam Okudzeto on National Interest February 13 &20, 2020.
Most Rev Dr Kwasi Aboagye Mensah on New Year, New Opportunities, Fresh Challenges January 1, 2020.
Dr Serebour Quaicoe on Preparation Towards December General Election November 5, 2020.
Dr Serebour Quaicoe on Free, Fair, Credible and Peaceful Elections November 26, 2020.
Rev Prof Emmanuel Adow Obeng on Towards Peaceful Elections November 19, 2020.
Apostle Prof Opoku Onyina on Managing Uncertainty in Life April 23, 2020.
Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong (PhD) is Senior Lecturer in African Christianity at the Department of Religious Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi – Ghana.
Opuni-Frimpong, Kwabena. “The Church and the Quest for Peaceful and Credible Elections in Ghana.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.6 (2023): 761-773. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2023466
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
