 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Do you approve whether or not some form of Union Government would become the basis of Ghana's political system? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|---|
| Constitution |
 Africaportal  Politicsportal |
A referendum on the system of government was held in Ghana on 30 March 1978.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
Do you approve whether or not some form of Union Government would become the basis of Ghana's political system? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| |
|---|
| Constitution |
| Africaportal Politicsportal |
A referendum on the system of government was held in Ghana on 30 March 1978.
In December 1971 the government of Kofi Abrefa Busia drastically devalued the cedi. However, the authorities' inability to control the subsequent inflationary pressures led to discontent, and military officers seized power in a bloodless coup on 13 January 1972.
The coup leaders, led by Col. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, formed the National Redemption Council (NRC) to which they admitted other officers, the head of the police, and one civilian. The NRC promised improvements in the quality of life for all Ghanaians and based its programs on nationalism, economic development, and self-reliance. In 1975, a government reorganization resulted in the NRC's replacement by the Supreme Military Council (SMC), also headed by now-General Acheampong.
Unable to deliver on its promises, the NRC/SMC became increasingly marked by mismanagement and rampant corruption. In 1977, General Acheampong brought forward the concept of union government (UNIGOV), which would make Ghana a non-party state.
The referendum posed the question:
There were 4,497,803 registered voters for the referendum.
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,372,427 | 60.11% |
| No | 910,386 | 39.89% |
| Total | 2,282,813 | 100% |
| Source: African Elections database | ||
Although the referendum passed, professional groups and students perceived UNIGOV to be ploy by Acheampong to retain power, and continued the strikes and demonstrations against the government which had begun in 1977. The steady erosion in Acheampong's power led to his arrest in July 1978 by his chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Fred Akuffo, who replaced him as head of state and leader of what became known as the SMC-2.
Akuffo abandoned UNIGOV and established a plan to return to constitutional and democratic government. A Constitutional Assembly was established, and political party activity was revived. Akuffo was unable to solve Ghana's economic problems, however, or to reduce the rampant corruption in which senior military officers played a major role. On 4 June 1979, his government was deposed in a violent coup by a group of junior and non-commissioned officers - the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) - with Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings as its chairman. Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the summer of 1979.
| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
* British Togoland only | |
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is the unified armed force of Ghana, consisting of the Army (GA), Navy (GN), and Ghana Air Force.
Jerry John Rawlings was a Ghanaian military officer and politician who led the country for a brief period in 1979, and then from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected President of Ghana.
Ignatius Kutu Acheampong ( ə-CHAM-PONG; was the military head of state of Ghana from 13 January 1972 to 5 July 1978, when he was deposed in a palace coup. He was executed by firing squad on 16 June 1979.
Lieutenant General Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa Born was a Ghanaian soldier, farmer, traditional ruler and politician. He was the head of state of Ghana and leader of the military government in 1969 and then chairman of the Presidential Commission between 1969 and 1970. He continued as a farmer and political activist. He was elected a member of Parliament in 1979, but he was executed before he could take his seat. He was executed together with two other former heads of state, General Kutu Acheampong and General Fred Akuffo, and five other generals, in June 1979. He was also popularly referred to by his title Okatakyie Akwasi Amankwaa Afrifa and was in addition the abakomahene of Krobo in the Asante-Mampong Traditional Area of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
Lieutenant General Frederick William "Fred" Kwasi Akuffo was a Ghanaian soldier and politician. He was Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces from 1976 to 1978, and chairman of the ruling Supreme Military Council in Ghana from 1978 to 1979. He came to power in a military coup, and was overthrown and executed in another military coup less than a year later.
Faustina Acheampong was the First Lady of the Republic of Ghana from 1972 to 1978. She was the spouse of General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, Chairman of the National Redemption Council and Supreme Military Council and Head of state of Ghana from 1972 to 1978.
The National Redemption Council (NRC) was the ruling Ghana military government from 13 January 1972 to 9 October 1975. Its chairman was Colonel I. K. Acheampong, who was thus also the head of state of Ghana.
The Supreme Military Council (SMC) was the ruling government of Ghana from 9 October 1975 to 4 June 1979. Its chairman was Colonel I.K. Acheampong. He was also the Head of state of Ghana due to his chairmanship.
The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was the government of Ghana from June 4, 1979, to September 24, 1979.
Erasmus Ransford Tawiah Madjitey, was a Ghanaian police officer, diplomat and politician. He was appointed Police Commissioner in the Gold Coast on 9 October 1958, making him not only the first Ghanaian to head the Ghana Police Service, but also the first African South of the Sahara and the British Commonwealth to command a Police Force.
Major General Robert Ebenezer Abossey Kotei was a soldier, politician and track and field athlete. He was once the Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces and also a member of the Supreme Military Council that ruled Ghana between 1975 and 1979. He was executed in 1979, following a military coup. He also held the Ghanaian high jump record for many years.
Leaders of the established 1966 military coup, including army officers Colonel E.K. Kotoka, Major A. A. Afrifa, Lieutenant General (retired) J. A. Ankrah, and Police Inspector General J.W.K. Harlley, justified their takeover by charging that the CPP administration was abusive and corrupt. They were equally disturbed by Kwame Nkrumah's aggressive involvement in African politics and by his belief that Ghanaian troops could be sent anywhere in Africa to fight so-called liberation wars, even though they never did so. Above all, they pointed to the absence of democratic practices in the nation—a situation they claimed had affected the morale of the armed forces. According to General Kotoka, the military coup of 1966 was a nationalist one because it liberated the nation from Nkrumah's dictatorship—a declaration that was supported by Alex Quaison Sackey, Nkrumah's former minister of foreign affairs.
Major General Neville Alexander Odartey-Wellington (1934–1979), the Chief of Staff of the Ghana Army until his death in a coup d'état. He was a native of Osu, Accra, and died in action leading loyal troops against revolting forces during the 4 June 1979 coup d'état in Ghana.
1970s in Ghana details events of note that happened in Ghana in the years 1970 to 1979.
The June 4th Revolution or June 4th Uprising was an uprising in Ghana in 1979 that arose due to a combination of corruption and perceived bad governance which led to frustration among the general public and misunderstandings within the Ghanaian army.
Nicholas Yaw Boafo Adade (1927–2013) was a former supreme court judge and Attorney General of the Republic of Ghana. He was the Attorney General of Ghana between 14 April 1969 to 1970 in the Busia government. He was also Member of Parliament for Asante Akim South constituency in the 2nd Ghanaian Republic.
Gustav Koranteng-Addow (1918-1988) was the Attorney General of Ghana from 9 October 1975 to January 1979 under the Supreme Military Council.
Edward Kwaku Utuka was a Ghanaian military officer, who held the rank of major general of the Ghana Armed Forces, was a former border guards commander and member of the Supreme Military Council I & II, the ruling government of Ghana from 9 October 1975 to 4 June 1979.
The National Reconciliation Commission was established in January 2002 by the Parliament of Ghana. The goal of the commission was to establish an "accurate, complete and historical record of violations and abuses of human rights inflicted on persons by public institutions and holders of public office during periods of unconstitutional government." The Commission was formed after a new democratic party won the elections in 2000. The Commission covered human rights violations in Ghana from 1957 to 1993. It looked into government abuses and military coups staged by former president Jerry Rawlings. The members of the Commission worked until the end of 2004.
Joseph Kwame Kingsley-Nyinah was a Ghanaian judge who served as a justice of the Court of Appeal and also as the Electoral Commissioner for Ghana.
