How Ghana’s two biggest political parties began

Ghana’s political landscape beyond pre-independence and post-independence history has largely revolved around two major parties — the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Although both parties were formally established in 1992 ahead of the Fourth Republic, their political roots stretch back much further into the pre- and post-independence eras.

The NPP and the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition

The NPP’s roots can be traced to the political tradition associated with Dr J.B. Danquah, Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, and Chief Simon Diedong Dombo.

Before independence, Danquah was among the leading figures of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), formed in 1947.

Following political developments after independence, several opposition groups came together in 1957 to form the United Party (UP), with Busia becoming its leader. The UP subsequently evolved into the Progress Party (PP), which won the 1969 elections and formed government under Busia.

Military interventions and subsequent bans on political parties disrupted that tradition.

However, the political lineage resurfaced when Ghana began its transition to constitutional rule in 1992.

The NPP was formally established in 1992, drawing on the Danquah-Busia tradition. Professor Albert Adu Boahen became its first presidential candidate and contested the 1992 election against then-National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings.

The party later became one of the dominant forces in the Fourth Republic, winning presidential elections in 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2020.

How the NDC emerged

The NDC, meanwhile, emerged directly from the political movement surrounding former military leader Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings.

Rawlings had seized power in the December 31, 1981 coup and established the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). After more than a decade of military rule, Ghana began its transition to multiparty constitutional democracy.

With the lifting of the ban on political party activities in 1992, Rawlings and his supporters established the National Democratic Congress on July 28, 1992. The party says its roots are in the June 4, 1979 uprising and the December 31 revolution.

The NDC went on to win the 1992 presidential election, making Rawlings the first President of the Fourth Republic. The party retained power in the 1996 election before losing power to the NPP in 2000.

Two traditions, one political rivalry

The histories of the NDC and NPP therefore go beyond the parties’ official formation dates.

The NPP represents a political tradition that developed through several parties and movements dating back to the independence struggle, while the NDC grew out of the Rawlings-led PNDC era and Ghana’s transition from military to constitutional government.

Their origins have shaped much of Ghana’s Fourth Republic politics — a rivalry that has continued to define the country’s electoral landscape for more than three decades.

NA/VPO