Executive Director of DI, Richard Ahiagbah
The Danquah Institute (DI) says the overwhelming nod of approval of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government by Ghanaians translates to the confidence the public has in the current running of the economy.
The policy think-tank says this has reflected in findings in the just-ended survey conducted by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD).
The 2020 CDD report, titled “Outlook for the December 2020 polls,” noted that the Akufo-Addo and NPP government is broadly positive, giving the President and the party particularly high grades for the handling of COVID-19 crises, electricity, and education.
“The NPP enjoys a significant advantage (15 percentage points) over the NDC when it comes to public confidence in the ability to deliver on campaign promises,” the pre-election survey said.
Danquah Institute in a statement noted that “this translates into the belief in a bright future for Ghana, as many people believe the economy will be better in the next 12 months.”
“The leadership qualities of President Nana Akufo-Addo are well recognised and he has been selected as the most popular state official. Ghanaians have also said they have good faith in the ability of state institutions to conduct a free and fair election. This will guarantee the continuity of the good-record accomplishments of the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government for another four years,” it added.
CDD survey
Per the survey, Ghanaians also trust the ability of the Electoral Commission (EC) to conduct a fair and transparent election. It said some 64 per cent of the respondents believed in the competence of EC’s commissioners to deliver free and fair elections; 17 per cent of them said they had some modest belief in the competence of the commissioners; with 15 per cent saying they did not believe in the elections management body.
Regarding the integrity of the EC to deliver free and fair election, 65 per cent of the respondents said they had confidence in the EC to do so, while 16 per cent said they had little confidence, with 15 per cent saying they did not believe in it at all.
On the integrity or quality of the new voter register, 68 per cent of the people said they had confidence in it, with just 15 per cent saying they had little confidence and 14 per cent having no confidence at all.
On the other hand, the presidency enjoys 61 per cent of the trust of those surveyed, with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) enjoying 58 per cent and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) enjoying 47 per cent, with other opposition parties enjoying 28 per cent.
Moreover, the survey indicated that a large majority were confident in the ability of the country’s official and informal institutions to resolve violence in the 2020 polls. Some 96 per cent of the respondents said the army was effective in resolving conflicts peacefully as 87 per cent rating went to the police on that score; 78 per cent to traditional authorities; 77 per cent to religious bodies; 76 per cent to the Peace Council and 72 per cent for civil society organisations, with non-governmental organisations getting 72 per cent rating on their ability to resolve conflicts peacefully.
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