Nationalism in Africa: Ghana's Presidential elections

This briefing provides a concise yet comprehensive analysis of the Ghanaian multiparty presidential elections held in December 2000. It also documents the ethnonational patterns which emerged from the election as the political wisdom of the election dictated that each vice- presidential candidate for the four top parties should be a Northerner. The analysis also reveals the main contribu- tory element to Kufour's victory during the second round ballot, notably the Mahama factor. That said, it would ap- pear that although the theories of nation- alism spell out a mutual conflict between ethnonationalism and political national- ism in multinational states, this briefing highlights the paradox that the two equate with each other within the realities of the local political rationality in Ghana, and perhaps in many other African countries.This briefing provides a concise yet comprehensive analysis of the Ghanaian multiparty presidential elections held in December 2000. It also documents the ethnonational patterns which emerged from the election as the political wisdom of the election dictated that each vice- presidential candidate for the four top parties should be a Northerner. The analysis also reveals the main contribu- tory element to Kufour's victory during the second round ballot, notably the Mahama factor. That said, it would ap- pear that although the theories of nation- alism spell out a mutual conflict between ethnonationalism and political national- ism in multinational states, this briefing highlights the paradox that the two equate with each other within the realities of the local political rationality in Ghana, and perhaps in many other African countries.