Elections 2004 (Results) - Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Ghana Office

The 2004 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections
THE BASIC FEATURES OF THE GHANAIAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM
The following are the basic characteristics of the Ghanaian electoral system:
• Universal adult suffrage
• Yearly registration of voters
• Voluntary participation in registration and voting
• Where you register is where you vote
• General elections (presidential, parliamentary, and local level elections)
• Partisan politics at the national level only
• National and local level elections alternate at two year intervals
• Secret ballot
• Use of Identity Card issued by the Electoral Commission to establish voter’s identity and
to prevent impersonation.
• Presidential and parliamentary elections held on the same day
• First-past-the-post at the parliamentary level and absolute majority at the presidential level
• Run-off, if no winner emerges in the first round of a presidential election
• Use of indelible ink (electoral stain) to prevent mutiple voting
• No minimum voter turnout required at public elections
• An Electoral Commission as a corporate entity with the capacity to acquire and own
property and to sue and be sued
• Political parties as corporate bodies
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