This article argues that Ghana's democratization took place through a two-stage process, where the first stage saw the international community play a more dominant role leading up to Ghana's transition in 1992. Rawlings' decision to democratize was the outcome of a rare convergence of domestic and international pressures. In the first stage, international forces provided the structural context for political reform. There are two facets of the international impact: snowballing/demonstration effect, and implicit political conditionality. Evidence is given to show that it was only when snowballing and implicit political conditionality held sway over Rawlings that the transition to democracy was given a boost.
The quest to bridge the gender disparity in the politics of Ghana has seen little progress owing to the challenges associated with the passage of the Affirmative Action bill by the actors involved. However, the recent emergence and unconventional adoption of ‘widow succession’ politics in Ghana have sparked some public debates into the viability of the practice in the promotion of women in politics. This paper examined all five identified cases of widow politics in Ghana between 2000 and 2020 (Asutifi South, Shai Osudoku, Ayawaso West Wuogon, Mfantseman and Tempane constituencies) and draws on the widow effect and affirmative action concepts to propose lessons and the possible implication of the practice in Ghana.
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