Ghanaian constitutional referendum, 1992
Encyclopedia
A referendum on a new constitution was held in Ghana
on 28 April 1992. The main issues were the reintroduction of multi-party politics and the division of powers between the president
and parliament
.
There were 8,255,690 registered voters for the referendum.
had come to power in a military coup. The Provisional National Defense Council was established to rule the country. In 1984, the PNDC created a National Commission on Democracy to study ways to establish participatory democracy in Ghana. The commission issued a "Blue Book" in July 1987 outlining modalities for district-level elections, which were held in late 1988 and early 1989, for newly created district assemblies. One-third of the assembly members are appointed by the government.
Under international and domestic pressure for a return to democracy, the PNDC allowed the establishment of a 258-member Consultative Assembly made up of members representing geographic districts as well as established civic or business organizations. The assembly was charged to draw up a draft constitution to establish a fourth republic, using PNDC proposals. The PNDC accepted the final product without revision, and it was put to a vote.
(NDC), to contest the elections. Presidential elections
were held on November 3 and parliamentary elections
on December 29 of that year. Members of the opposition boycotted the parliamentary elections, however, which resulted in a 200 seat parliament with only 17 opposition party members and two independents.
The new constitution entered into force on 7 January 1993, to found the Fourth Republic. On that day, Rawlings was inaugurated as president and members of parliament swore their oaths of office. In 1996, the opposition fully contested the presidential
and parliamentary elections
, which were described as peaceful, free, and transparent by domestic and international observers. Rawlings was re-elected with 57% of the popular vote.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
on 28 April 1992. The main issues were the reintroduction of multi-party politics and the division of powers between the president
Heads of state of Ghana
Prior to independence in 1957, Ghana was known as the British colony of Gold Coast. Before then it had been divided among a number of states, by far the largest of which was the Ashanti Empire, whose rulers were known as the Asantehene....
and parliament
Parliament of Ghana
The Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Ghanaian government.-History:Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony. The body, called the Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive...
.
There were 8,255,690 registered voters for the referendum.
Background
In December 1981 Jerry RawlingsJerry Rawlings
Jerry John Rawlings is a former leader of the Republic of Ghana and now the African Union envoy to Somalia. Rawlings ruled Ghana as a military dictator in 1979 and from 1981 to 1992 and then as the first elected president of the Fourth Republic from 1993 to 2001...
had come to power in a military coup. The Provisional National Defense Council was established to rule the country. In 1984, the PNDC created a National Commission on Democracy to study ways to establish participatory democracy in Ghana. The commission issued a "Blue Book" in July 1987 outlining modalities for district-level elections, which were held in late 1988 and early 1989, for newly created district assemblies. One-third of the assembly members are appointed by the government.
Under international and domestic pressure for a return to democracy, the PNDC allowed the establishment of a 258-member Consultative Assembly made up of members representing geographic districts as well as established civic or business organizations. The assembly was charged to draw up a draft constitution to establish a fourth republic, using PNDC proposals. The PNDC accepted the final product without revision, and it was put to a vote.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 3,408,119 | 92.59% |
| Against | 272,855 | 7.41% |
| Total | 3,680,974 | 100% |
| Source: African Elections database | ||
Aftermath
On 18 May 1992, the ban on party politics was lifted in preparation for multi-party elections. The PNDC and its supporters formed a new party, the National Democratic CongressNational Democratic Congress (Ghana)
The National Democratic Congress is a social democratic political party in Ghana, founded by Jerry John Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001. The NDC was formed ahead of elections in 1992 and 1996 returned Jerry John Rawlings to...
(NDC), to contest the elections. Presidential elections
Ghanaian presidential election, 1992
Presidential elections were held in Ghana on 3 November 1992. The result was a victory for Jerry John Rawlings, who won 58.4% of the vote. Voter turnout was 50.2%.-Results:...
were held on November 3 and parliamentary elections
Ghanaian parliamentary election, 1992
The Ghanaian parliamentary election was held on 29 December 1992. This were the first parliamentary elections since the 1979 election, 13 years earlier. Presidential elections were held earlier on 3 November 1992. Only 28.1% of the registered voters turned out for the parliamentary elections...
on December 29 of that year. Members of the opposition boycotted the parliamentary elections, however, which resulted in a 200 seat parliament with only 17 opposition party members and two independents.
The new constitution entered into force on 7 January 1993, to found the Fourth Republic. On that day, Rawlings was inaugurated as president and members of parliament swore their oaths of office. In 1996, the opposition fully contested the presidential
Ghanaian presidential election, 1996
The Ghanaian presidential elections were held on 7 December 1996. Parliamentary elections were held on the same day. The result was a victory for the incumbent, Jerry Rawlings of the National Democratic Congress. Voter turnout was 78.3%.-Results:...
and parliamentary elections
Ghanaian parliamentary election, 1996
The Ghanaian parliamentary election was held on 7 December 1996. Presidential elections were held on the same day. The result was a victory for the National Democratic Con, which won 133 of the 200 seats.-Results:-By region:-See also:...
, which were described as peaceful, free, and transparent by domestic and international observers. Rawlings was re-elected with 57% of the popular vote.