The Ghanaian government is accused of authoritarianism by several civil society actors and political parties. Reactions following the announcement of the continued detention of around forty demonstrators arrested last weekend during a rally in the capital against illegal gold mines.
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With our correspondent in Accra, Victor Cariou
Latest conviction: that of the main opposition party, which denounces justice at the behest of those in power. “ Brutal police and justice in the service of corrupt power »… These serious accusations made by the National Democratic Congress in its press release are far from surprising, according to Chris Atadika, political science researcher at the University of Ghana: “ There are several reasons why voters vote for a particular party. Even though there are issues like the economy, we also want to feel safe, especially when protesting against illegal gold mines, and how they are polluting our water supplies. »
A week earlier, the NDC accused the electoral commission of favoritism towards the New Patriotic Party. Objective: to call into question the credibility of the government, and by the same token, the reliability of the presidential election of December 7. “ This created awareness among citizens before the election. This is one of the many reasons why it could be very difficult for the NPP to win this year’s election. », Analyzes the academic.
In 2016, it was the NPP, then the opposition party, which organized a series of protests. A strategy which, according to Chris Atadika, allowed them to gain power during the presidential election of that same year.
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