More Ghanaians would vote for presidential and parliamentary candidates from the same political party than from different parties popularly known as ‘skirt and blouse’, the 10th Afrobarometer survey has shown.
Per the survey, conducted between August 5 and 22 this year, 58 per cent of the citizenry would vote for presidential and parliamentary candidates from the same party while 15 per cent would do otherwise.
The data was disseminated by the Director of Research at the Centre for Democratic Governance Ghana (CDD-Ghana), Dr Edem Salomey, in Accra on Friday.
The survey found out that candidate’s honesty (90 per cent), character (88 per cent), and campaign promises (59 per cent) were the major factors that would influence voter’s choice.
It also indicated that the Ghana Armed Forces, religious leaders, traditional leaders, non-governmental organisations, and civil society organisations (CSOs) were the most trusted institutions.
However, the presidency, courts, Electoral Commission, the police, opposition political parties, the New Patriotic Party, Members of Parliament, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, and assembly men and women were among the least trusted institutions by the citizenry.
They obtained percentage rates of 14 per cent, 13 per cent, 11 per cent, 10 per cent, 9 per cent, and five per cent, respectively.
In terms of the level of corruption among institutions, the police, the Presidency, tax officials, MPs, judges and magistrates, and the EC, per the data, were viewed as the most corrupt, with percentage rates of 63 per cent, five per cent, 53 per cent, 51 per cent, 44 per cent, and 43 per cent.
Also, the data showed a decline in the percentage of individuals who could report incidents of corruption without fear from 36 per cent in 2019 to 30 per cent in 2022, and a further 26 per cent in 2024.
During a panel discussion, the Executive Director of the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mrs Mary Addah, urged policy makers to implement recommendations made to address corruption as well as the protection of whistle blowers.
Dr John Osae-Kwapong, a Democratic and Development Fellow, CDD-Ghana, underscored the need to consolidate the country’s democracy.
The Co-Chair, Citizen’s Movement Against Corruption, Mr Edem Senanu, said to address the issues captured in the data , “We need to address the economic situation of the country and make sure that people who represent the public sector are people of integrity.”
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