Introduction: Structure, Agency, and Democratic Trappings in Ghana’s Fourth Republic

Ghana’s transition to democratic rule in the early 1990s—though influenced by a myriad of internal and external factors—was premised on the conceptual consensus that it is the most ideal system of government that provides citizens and rulers the opportunity to make legitimate choices in life. After the truncation of the first, second, and third republics by military coups, the Fourth Republic is the longest in the history of the country: witnessing eight relatively free and fair general elections, three peaceful alternations of political power between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), and the expansion of the legislative arm of government from 200 to 275 members.