The presidential election is won by having more than 50% of valid votes cast,[3] whilst the parliamentary elections is won by simple majority, and, as is predicted by Duverger's law, the voting system has encouraged Ghanaian politics into a two-party system, creating extreme difficulty for anybody attempting to achieve electoral success under any banner other than those of the two dominant parties.
[1] To qualify as a Presidential candidate, the person is required to be Ghanaian citizens by birth, be at least 40 years old, and must be of sound mind.
Again, the person must either be nominated by a political party or stand as independent candidate, provided the necessary requirements are met, including a full payment of presidential filing fees.
Candidates are allowed to engage in rallies, debates, and media appearances to communicate their vision and developmental policies (manifestos) for the country and garner support from voters.
Similar to the Presidential elections, each political party presents a list of candidates for each constituency, and voters cast their ballots.
The EC also superintendents over nationwide voter registration, candidate nomination, ballot printing, polling station setup, collation, tabulation and announcement of election results.
[6] Ethnic favoritism in Ghana has been shown to be a method of gaining votes; however, the effectiveness among voters may vary between diverse and homogeneous communities.
[8] In this example, minorities within this homogeneous and rural community would equally benefit from the public goods placed in their area as the majority.
[8] In contrast, other researchers argue that minority groups within these communities vote along non-coethnic lines due to voter intimidation.
[8] Additionally, research shows the ethnic voting at the local level in Ghana may have greater implications for national elections.
[11] After collecting data on the price of taxis in a field experiment at various time points around an election, the study found that non-coethnics were charged more, on average, than non-ethnics.
[13] This research emphasizes that, although there is less information available to Ghanaian people, they are still more likely to choose a candidate based on past performance and policy plans.