The U.S. State Department announced Monday it will impose visa restrictions on individuals deemed responsible for undermining democracy in Ghana.
This decision comes as the West African nation prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for December 7.
Ghana has enjoyed nearly two decades of peaceful, free, and fair elections. However, recent allegations of irregularities in the voter roll have raised concerns about potential democratic backsliding.
The upcoming elections will mark Ghana’s ninth consecutive general election since its return to multi-party democracy in 1992.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the visa policy targets those who “undermine democracy” and not the Ghanaian government or its citizens.
Last month, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana’s largest opposition party, held nationwide protests calling for an audit of the voter roll, claiming to have identified thousands of unauthorized transfers and removals of names.
Incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is stepping down after serving two four-year terms. Thirteen candidates have been approved by the electoral commission to run in the presidential election, though analysts anticipate a competitive race between former President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia.
