Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

With these words President Kufuor of Ghana opened a conference of political parties from sub-Saharan Africa held from 5-6 May in Accra. Organized by NIMD and the Accra-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the conference brought together representatives of 55 political parties from 15 African countries to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ghana´s independence and discuss the state of democracy and the role of political parties in the region.
Addressing the conference on behalf of NIMD, Ms Kathleen Ferrier, Member of Parliament for the Christen Democratic Party (CDA) in The Netherlands, praised the Ghanaian political parties for taking the initiative to host the event, noting that it was the first time that such a variety of political parties from so many African countries convened.

In her speech Ms Ferrier expressed her hope that “the political party leaders assembled at this special occasion will chart the course of democratic transformation and consolidation on your continent for the next 50 years, building on the principles as laid down in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.” According to Ms Ferrier, this Charter, which was signed by the Heads of State of the African Union on 30 January 2007, “should become the reference document for all people on the continent working towards the consolidation of democracy, ending violent conflict and poverty.”

Other speakers at the conference included Mr Lansana Kouyate, Prime Minister of the Republic of Guinea, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Mr Joachim Alberto Chissano, Former President of Mozambique, and Dr James Jonah, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs.

As the conference took place in the wake of general elections in Nigeria and Mali, the contested election results in both countries were of course widely discussed among conference participants. In a joint communiqué signed at the end of the conference, the participants address the issue, stating that they “bemoaned the incidence of post-election conflicts in Sub Saharan Africa and agreed that the conduct of free, fair and credible elections should not only be regarded as a means to legitimizing the leadership of a country but also as a tool for promoting peace and security in the region”.

Another issue addressed at the conference was raised by Mr Kufuor who urged African governments to invest in the consolidation of multiparty democracy by making public funds available to political parties. According to Mr Kufuor, public financing of political parties 'will promote internal democracy and good governance and strengthen them as key institutions of the democratic process'.

As is the case in most African countries, in Ghana there are currently no constutional provisions that allow the state to support political parties. In the conference communiqué, the political parties affirmed 'the need for state and public financing of Political Parties in sub Saharan African countries in order to build the capacity of all Political Parties so as to create a level playing field for effective participation in the governance processes of their respective countries'