Democracy and electoral fraud in Africa: A comparative study of presidential elections in Ghana and Nigeria from 2000 to 2012

This research aims to study why there is a high rate of electoral fraud in most African nations. For this purpose the Elite, Institutional and Rationalist theories were reviewed and a theory guided hypothesis was chosen to conduct a comparative analysis of democracy and electoral fraud in Nigeria and Ghana by looking at Presidential elections between 2000 and 2013. Elections play an important role in democracies, however, who decides on the choice of electoral system and whose interests and values prevail are two issues that have been grappling political scientists and political theorists alike. These two issues inherently concern how and why political reform takes place. It has even more vehemence for relatively newer democracies. Most African nations over the years have experienced different form of governance and elections all in the name of democracy but very far from practicing it. This has been expressed in electoral rigging, violence, death, corruption and little or no level of transparency within the system. Reform successes were limited. Nevertheless, there are some success stories that may provide guidance for political scientists. An exemplary case in West Africa is Ghana. Ghana has moved into a democratic path leading the way for other African nations where as Nigeria, another West African nation, is still deeply rooted in electoral fraud, corruption and irregularities. These two countries in West Africa provide a striking contrast and could provide an answer to several question. Through elite interviews and analysis of secondary data such as Afrobarometer, this thesis finds strong evidence in support of the Elite Theory. Keywords: Democracy, Electoral Fraud, Elections, Political Parties, Electoral Management body.