The United States announced a visa restriction policy on Monday targeting individuals undermining democracy in Ghana. The policy comes before Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on 7th December.
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the restrictions will apply only to specific individuals involved in anti-democratic activities and will not target the general Ghanaian public or government. This action follows recent concerns over voter roll irregularities, which have led some in Ghana to worry about a potential setback to the country’s established democratic practices.
Ghana has maintained a tradition of peaceful, transparent elections since its return to multi-party democracy in 1992, with the upcoming election being the country’s ninth consecutive general election. However, there has been tension heightened by allegations from the opposition party.