Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Ghana’s Democratic Resilience

Democracy can be defined as the mandate people willingly give to others to manage their affairs. It is often contrasted with totalitarianism, where absolute power is held without the people's consent. The term democracy originates from the Greek words "Demos" (the people) and "Kratos" (strength), collectively meaning "the rule of the people." The most widely accepted definition comes from former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who described it as "government of the people, by the people, for the people" during his Gettysburg Address in 1863. In 2020, a global pandemic emerged, originating from Wuhan, China, known as COVID-19 or the Coronavirus. The virus has caused approximately 14.9 million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2022). Beyond the mortality rate, COVID-19 has negatively impacted global economies due to lockdowns aimed at controlling its spread. The pandemic has also led to violations of key democratic principles, a central focus of this paper. Specifically, this study examines the strength of Ghana’s democracy in the aftermath of the global pandemic