Promoting Political Accountability and Issues-based Elections
No electoral cycle in Ghana is complete without the Presidential Debates (begun in 2000) and the Vice Presidential Debates and Evening Encounters (begun in 2008).
The IEA has worked tirelessly to provide an independent, neutral platform for the healthy contestation of ideas. This is in line with our belief that those who wish to govern must subject themselves to probing questions by the people to ensure that they understand the concerns of the electorate, and have the capacity to address them. The platforms have enabled the candidates to sell their visions and demonstrate their capacity to solve national problems. The debates have helped focus the elections on issues rather than on personalities, leading to the defusing political tension. It is worth noting that history was made when in 2012 the sitting president of Ghana participated in the debate for the first time.
