Only 4% voters will vote based on corruption – UG Research

A survey by the University of Ghana, Political Science Department has revealed that only 4% of voters would consider corruption-related issues in the 2020 election.

It says corruption will influence the decision of only 4% of voters in the 2020 polls.

The survey further revealed that “policies that the future government is likely to implement (35.8%), the content of campaign messages candidates put across (23.8%) more than management of the COVID-19 (8.2%) more than corruption (4.0%) would shape their voting decision”

Although the country’s corruption perception index keeps declining it appears it is not a determinant in the 2020 general elections.

The country scored 41 out of 100 and ranked 80 out of the 180 countries/territories assessed annually by the global anti-corruption body, Transparency International.

Ghana’s worst score under the John Mahama administration was 43 while the country’s best score in the three years of Akufo-Addo’s presidency is 41. John Mahama’s best score was 48 in 2014.

The University of Ghana survey appears to validate a report by the Washington Post in 2016 “Ghana shows a troubling willingness to accept political corruption” which found that 43 percent of Ghanaians think bribing voters were either “not wrong at all” or was “wrong but should not be punished.”

“Similarly, 76 percent of Ghanaians believe that politicians should not be punished for directing development projects toward areas that support them”.

The survey concluded that many Ghanaian politicians do not consider giving gifts to voters to be an illegitimate act.

“ In fact, many voters expect or even demand such practices”.