Over eighty per cent of Ghanaians prefer the option of democratic governance as against authoritarianism, a new report has suggested.
The Afrobarometer study, conducted across 34 African countries, revealed that the average African still prefers democratic rule.
“Eight out of 10 Ghanaians prefer democratic governance to authoritarianism,” the report released yesterday said.
It further observed that more than two-thirds (68%) of those surveyed say democracy is the best form of government, and more than seven in 10 reject abandoning multiparty elections in favour of strong-man rule (78%), a one-party state (74%), or military rule (72%).
“In the second of its Pan-Africa Profiles based on recent public-opinion surveys in 34 countries, Afrobarometer reports that contrary to fears of a democratic recession, large majorities of Africans continue to support democracy and reject authoritarian alternatives.
But fewer Africans are getting the democracy they demand, the analysis shows, and even fewer– just 15% – are insistent enough on better democracy to form a bulwark against authoritarian encroachment,” the report stated.
The demand for democracy has however declined in 14 African countries with only seven countries experiencing democratic growth according to the report.
“But over a decade-long time frame, the demand grew in eight countries and shrank in only four,” it said.
The study further revealed that Across Africa, the perceived supply of democracy is consistently lower than demand, meaning that many people get less democracy than they want.
The report explained that available evidence “suggests that democracy is most secure against backsliding in countries where significant proportions of citizens are ‘dissatisfied democrats,’ meaning they demand democracy yet remain discontented with its performance. Across Africa, fewer than one in six citizens (15%) currently qualify as ‘dissatisfied democrats.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri