Vote Buying Will Remain a Threat to Ghana’s Democracy If Left Unchecked — Election Watch Ghana

The Convener of Election Watch Ghana, Mr. Mark EwusiArkoh, has warned that vote buying will continue to pose a serious threat to Ghana’s democracy unless decisive action is taken to address it.

Speaking in an interview, Mr. Arkoh described vote buying as a blatant disregard for democratic principles, stressing that the practice is illegal and undermines the integrity of the country’s electoral system.

“Vote buying is not permitted by law, and it directly undermines our democracy,” he said, adding that its growing normalisation is deeply worrying.

Mr. Arkoh cited Section 33 of the Representation of the People Law, which explicitly prohibits the giving of money or other inducements to influence voting. However, he noted that a careful reading of the law reveals a significant gap.

“The law largely addresses general elections and does not sufficiently cover party internal elections,” he explained. “This has created a loophole which candidates are now exploiting to perpetuate their agenda.”

According to him, this legal gap has encouraged widespread monetisation of party primaries, allowing financial power to overshadow competence and merit.

He pointed to the recent NPP primaries as a clear example, where vote buying was visibly prevalent.

“People are now being voted for because they have money, not because they are competent,” Mr. Arkoh warned. “In the long run, this will be dangerous to our democracy.”

The Election Watch Ghana convener cautioned that when leadership selection is driven by money rather than ability, governance standards inevitably decline, eroding public trust in democratic institutions.

While acknowledging efforts by the NPP to publicly criticise vote buying within its ranks, Mr. Arkoh urged the party to go beyond rhetoric.

“We commend the NPP for condemning the practice,” he said. “But we expect them to take concrete steps to ensure that this behaviour is brought to an end.”