Opposition candidates tend to promise more than incumbents – CDD-Ghana boss

Executive Director of the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana (CDD-Ghana) Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh says challengers for the presidency often tend to promise more in Ghana than incumbents.

He observed that this makes opposition candidates promise more in the area of the fight against corruption but over the years no better impact is made when they win power.

Speaking at the Ghana National Forum for Political Party Manifestos organised on Wednesday, October 14 by Media General in collaboration with Penplusbytes, Prof Prempeh noted that because they want to wrestle power from the incumbent, challengers promise a whole a lot.

“Challengers tend to promise more than incumbents,” he stressed.

Normally, corruption is about who has power to do what. It tends to be about putting a mirror in the face of incumbents of that class. Challengers who are looking to wrestle power from incumbents tend to promise a lot more.”

He cited how the New Patriotic Party (NPP), in opposition in 2016, promised a lot to fight corruption.

“NPP in opposition 2016 trying to get in promises a whole lot more than the NDC does and that it is consistent with what we see, that there is a tendency on the part of challengers to raise the profile on corruption issues during election campaigns as a way to signal that they would do better if elected to office.“

Prof Prempeh wants more action than what is captured in manifestos and rattled on the political campaign platform.