PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES AND THE ELECTORAL FORTUNES OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN GHANA'S 2008 ELECTIONS

The year 2008 will probably go down in Ghanaian political history as unique for the manner in which the general elections were conducted. The elections, which were held in December, were preceded by a number of events including the famous presidential debates. This paper discussed the two presidential debates in Ghana, organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA-Ghana) in Accra and Tamale prior to the general elections. The debates provided an opportunity for the presidential aspirants of the four main political parties with representation in parliament to engage in the contest of ideas. Using findings of a survey of 100 respondents, representing a cross section of the Ghanaian population, the paper argues that presidential debates have a negligible role in positively affecting the electoral fortunes of the political parties and contribute little in whipping up support for presidential aspirants, especially among undecided voters. Their role in consolidating Ghana's democracy, particularly in ensuring dialogue and participation of the people in decision making, however, remains largely positive in spite of the several flaws and challenges that characterize their conduct in Ghana. Consequently, it is reccommended that measures be put in place to ensure successful conduct of presidential debates in Ghana in a manner that fully contribute to democratic consolidation and encourage voters, especially the undecided ones, to objectively make a good decision as to which presidential aspirant or political party to vote for during the actual elections.