Since 1990 African elections have consistently involved electoral violence. Between 1990 and 2012, 43 percent of African national elections were accompanied by post-election violence (PEV). PEV is a process that unfolds in distinct phases and elections held in countries with specific plans to preempt or interrupt it are less likely to experience PEV. Ghana is one such country. Even though Ghana previously experienced electoral violence, it has avoided PEV in recent elections because of its electoral violence prevention strategies grounded in a national peace architecture, anchored by the National Peace Council. This talk addresses the following questions: Why did Ghana develop a national peace architecture? What specific electoral violence prevention strategies have been used? How and why have they been successful? What role have civil society organizations played? It argues that Ghana's success has created an identity/narrative of peace, which has become a self-reinforcing norm that prescribes/proscribes behavior.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Faith I. Okpotor is an assistant professor of political science at Moravian University and a security fellow at the Truman National Security Project. She studies political violence and international security with a special emphasis on Africa. Her current research examines the dynamics of post-election violence in Africa and mitigation approaches.