Electoral and Party Politics in Ghana’s Fourth Republic: Ramifications of Two-Party Dominance

Ghana’s political landscape, shaped by a duopoly featuring the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) since 1992, raises questions about the impact on the country’s democracy. Examining this through Duverger’s Law, it becomes evident that the winner-takes-all electoral system in conjunction with historical factors has fostered this two-party dominance. Mainwaring and Scully’s perspectives on institutionalizing party systems further illuminate how the duopoly meets the necessary criteria to be considered an institutionalized system. Through a qualitative study and analysis of secondary data, this chapter delves into the intricacies of Ghana’s political evolution over the last 30 years, shedding light on the emergence and institutionalization of the NDC-NPP duopoly.