Ghana became famous for being the first sub-Saharan African colony to gain independence in 1957, and then became infamous for its political instability and economic decline. Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah was often compared unfavourably with Côte d'Ivoire under Félix Houphouet-Boigny. While the latter was regarded as stable, successful, and ‘capitalist’ inclined, the former was characterised as unstable and ‘socialist’. Starting with the military coup against the Nkrumah government in 1966 and ending with J.J. Rawlings’ second coup at the close of 1981, Ghana experienced seven changes in Head of State and ruling coalition, four of which resulted from a coup d’état by sections of the military (see Table 4.1). Three republics were toppled, more than once to loud popular applause. It is ironic that whilst Côte d'Ivoire has descended into civil war, Ghana is once again famous on the continent, this time for the quality of its democratic governance.

Ghana returned to multiparty politics and constitutional government under the Fourth Republic in 1993. The common narrative of its democratisation experience goes something like the following. Rawlings, head of the authoritarian Provisional National Defence Council, set a timetable for a democratic transition under external and internal political pressure, but manipulated the process in order to remain in power as a dictator-cum-democrat. He won the presidential election in 1992, but the opposition parties argued that the election was not free and fair and boycotted the parliamentary elections held shortly thereafter. The result was de facto one-party rule by Rawlings’ newly created National Democratic Congress (NDC). In 1996, Rawlings and the NDC won again.