Our electoral system not perfect but electoral gains have steadily improved – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said although Ghana does not have a perfect electoral system, every election in the 4th Republic has seen an improvement over the preceding one.

Speaking at Ghana’s 67th Independence anniversary in Koforidua, Eastern Region on the theme: ‘Our democracy, our pride’, the president said: “We are a democratic nation, and not every country can make such a claim.

“It is important to note that the democratic system of government we have today was not given to us at independence; more than a hundred years (100) of British rule had not prepared us in any way for democracy, there is nothing democratic about colonial rule, and, whatever we have today, we have worked out for ourselves”, he noted.

The president pointed out that “all the defining elements of a democracy, that are part of our governance architecture today, we have had to fabricate ourselves. Everything we know about elections today, and we know quite a bit, we have learnt through hard practice, and, in the past thirty-one (31) years, we have been stable”.

He conceded: “We have not got a perfect system, but, every time we have had elections during this 4th Republic, it has been an improvement on the previous occasion.

“We still have a lot more to learn especially when it comes to the tolerance of opposing views. But we also know that we dare not relapse, as there are many examples of countries that have disintegrated into chaos as a result of disputed elections”, he warned.

Mr Akufo-Addo said: “We know that technology is a useful tool that we must embrace to make the electoral process more transparent, but we are very much aware that technology also now makes it possible and easier for the deliberate manipulation and propagation of falsehood to influence public opinion”.

He said: “When it comes to free speech and a vigorous media as indicators of a working democracy, I believe we can say we are doing well. There is no danger of dissenting voices not being heard on any subject, even though we still have more work to do on elevating the quality of public discourse”.

Also, he observed: “We take our disputes to the courts for resolution, and the judicial system operates within agreed and acceptable rules”.

He warned against taking Ghana’s democracy for granted. “When we look around our neighbourhood, we might be tempted to think that our work is done, but we, Ghanaians, have never been known to settle for mediocrity.

"We aim for the best in every field. We should compare ourselves with the best that there is, and not settle for anything less. For as long as there is poverty and injustice anywhere in Ghana, our work is not done,” he stressed.