Dealing with Ghana’s Winner-Takes-All Politics: A Case for Proportional Representation?

This paper is the first in a series of publications aimed at provoking thought and discourse on issues relating to “Winner-Takes-All” politics in Ghana. It discusses winner-takes-all as an electoral formula and situates it within the context of winner-takes-all politics in Ghana. It highlights the dangers of Ghana’s winner-takes-all politics such as the marginalization of perceived political opponents and the feeling of exclusion from the governance process by those who do not belong to the government/ruling party. The paper argues further that winner-takes-all politics undermines the quest for national development, cohesion and the drive towards democratic maturity. In proffering policy recommendation, the paper critically examines Proportional Representation as one possible mechanism for ensuring inclusive governance and dealing with some of the challenges associated with winner-takes-all politics.