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Research by the Department of Political Science at the University of Ghana has revealed that the majority of Ghanaians prefer the military to be involved in protecting citizens on Election Day.
This, the survey believes, is against the backdrop of continued fear of vigilante groups.
The poll that was conducted between November 12 and 22 of this year covered 100 intentionally selected electoral districts in the 16 regions with 11,949 respondents out of a target of 12,000 in a random sampling form.
Of the total number of people surveyed, 23% of those surveyed believe that the military is best prepared to ensure a peaceful election, scoring 68.2% in terms of readiness.
The Ghana Police Service is far behind with 22.3% of respondents rating their preparation for elections at 67.9%.
In general, the accumulated percentage suggests that 54.3% of those surveyed prefer military protection on December 7, in contrast to 36.8% who were against it and 8.9% who were indifferent.
Speaking to the press, the project’s principal investigator, Kaakyire Duku Frempong, concluded that the majority of Ghanaians rely on the military to enforce violence-free elections.
Meanwhile, the majority of those surveyed were not sure whether all political vigilante groups had indeed been dissolved, despite the fact that the Surveillance and Related Crimes Act of 2019 (Law 999) that prohibits parties, individuals or institutions participating or promoting vigilante groups has been enacted.
According to the investigation, 45.5% were not sure if the political parties had dissolved their vigilante groups; 29.3% believe so, while the remaining 25.2% believe the opposite.
The rationale for the survey was to study the dynamics, options, issues, policies and programs of political parties and candidates as the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections approach.
As part of their security assessment of the upcoming elections, the Police identified more than 6,000 hot spots across the country prior to the 2020 elections.
However, they have assured citizens that they are prepared to keep the peace before, during and after the elections. This will be done in collaboration with all other law enforcement agencies in the state.
