Coup attempt successful The 1981 Ghanaian coup d'état was a successful government takeover in Ghana led by Air Force Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, overthrowing the administration of President Hilla Limann and establishing the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), with Jerry Rawlings assuming leadership of the country.

[2] Thus, on December 31, 1981, Jerry Rawlings intervened once again in a leftist-backed coup, replacing the government with the PNDC and seeking to transform the country into a Marxist state.

[2] In the initial first years of the 11 year-long PNDC regime, Ghana underwent a communist experiment as workers councils were established and the country turned to the Soviet Union for support.

[3] These ERPs and SAPs, under the guidance of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, while essential in Ghana's economic stabilization, faced significant opposition from the left and the labor unions as the measures caused anti-labor wage increases and price hikes that heavily reduced living conditions for the working class.

[5] The drafted 1992 Constitution, which included the clear separation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, were approved overwhelmingly by the electorate on April 28, 1992.