Economist and Professor of Finance, Prof. Godfred Bokpin, has cautioned Ghana’s two major political parties against allowing partisan political strategies to undermine critical institutions that underpin the country’s democracy.

He said while the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) may adopt different positions depending on whether they are in power or opposition, their arguments could contain elements of truth that deserve serious consideration.

Prof. Bokpin made the comments while speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, following the NPP’s “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration in Accra.

Thousands of NPP members and supporters took to the streets of the capital on Thursday to protest what the party described as threats to Ghana’s democracy and the weakening of key state institutions.

The demonstration culminated in the presentation of a petition at the forecourt of Jubilee House, with the party’s delegation led by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, General Secretary Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and the Chief of Staff to NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

The party had earlier submitted a separate petition to the Supreme Court.

Prof. Bokpin urged Ghanaians to look beyond the immediate political contest and consider whether recurring claims by both major parties point to deeper institutional problems.

“I do not think that these two main political parties would fake a position depending on where they find themselves,” he said.

“Perhaps, there is an element of truth in what they are capable of doing when they are in power, for which reason they see certain outcomes in a certain way.”

Prof. Bokpin suggested that if the concerns raised by the two parties are genuine, the country must find a way to address them rather than allowing them to become recurring features of Ghana’s political discourse.

“But if that is not the case, then we need to find a solution to it because, to some extent, it is gaining attraction,” he said.

Rather than dismissing such accusations as mere political rhetoric, Prof. Bokpin said there may be substantive issues that require attention.

Prof. Bokpin also drew attention to the significant number of people who participated in the NPP demonstration.

He acknowledged that the turnout demonstrated that the issues being raised had gained traction among a section of the population, while also recognising the political calculations that often accompany opposition demonstrations.

“If you look at the number of people who joined the demonstration,” he said.

However, he noted that demonstrations could also serve as part of an opposition party’s broader political strategy.

“It is also the case of a political strategy,” he said. “When you are in opposition, you want to do this consistently and all of that just to make the government look some way and all of that.”

Despite recognising the political dimension of the demonstration, Prof. Bokpin warned that political actors must be careful not to weaken the very institutions that sustain Ghana’s democracy.

“But I think that we should just be mindful that through these actions we may be undermining critical institutions that underpin our democracy,” he said.

Prof. Bokpin also expressed concern about the impact of political disputes on public perceptions of the judiciary.

He specifically referred to “how we see judges in this country”, highlighting the importance of maintaining confidence in the judicial system.