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‘TE NYƆGEYƐNG GBENGBENG!’ (‘WE ARE HOLDING THE UMBRELLA VERY TIGHT!’): EXPLAINING THE POPULARITY OF THE NDC IN THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2011

George M. Bob-Milliar
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Abstract

This article analyses the reasons why, since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1992, the Upper West Region (UWR) has become one of the strongholds of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in northern Ghana. In all five general elections to date, the NDC has won more than half of the presidential vote and over 70 per cent of the parliamentary seats. The article explores the factors that explain the NDC's electoral dominance in the UWR. At the regional level the accepted argument has been that the NDC's predecessor extended developments to the area. However, if voting preferences are based on development considerations, why didn't loyalty shift to the NPP? I argue that political loyalty is generational and that the popularity of the NDC in the UWR can be understood through an appreciation of the recent history of the region. On 14 January 1983, PNDC Law 41 decreed the creation of the Upper West Region, carved out of what was then the Upper Region. I conclude that the political and socio-economic opportunities that came along with decentralization are historical memories of high value, which the NDC capitalizes on in its electioneering campaigns.

Résumé

Cet article analyse les raisons pour lesquelles, depuis l'avènement de la Quatrième République en 1992, l'Upper West Region (UWR) est devenue l'un des bastions du NDC (National Democratic Congress) dans le Nord du Ghana. Sur les cinq élections qui ont eu lieu jusqu'à présent, le NDC a remporté plus de la moitié du vote présidentiel et plus de 70 pour cent des sièges parlementaires. L'article examine les facteurs qui expliquent la domination électorale du NDC dans l'UWR. Au niveau régional, l'argument généralement admis est celui selon lequel le parti qui a précédé le NDC est à l'origine du développement de la région. Néanmoins, si les considérations de développement influencent les préférences de vote, comment se fait-il que la loyauté ne se soit pas reportée sur le NPP? L'auteur soutient que la loyauté politique est générationnelle, et que la popularité du NDC dans l'UWR peut se comprendre par une appréciation de l'histoire récente de la région. Le 14 janvier 1983, la loi PNDC L 41 a décrété la création de l'Upper West Region, découpée dans ce qui était alors l'Upper Region. L'auteur conclut en disant que les opportunités politiques et socioéconomiques qui ont accompagné la décentralisation sont des souvenirs historiques de grande valeur que le NDC met à profit dans ses campagnes électorales.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 81 , Issue 3 , August 2011 , pp. 455 - 473
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2011

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