Ghana: Politicians Worried About Rise Of Split-Ticket Voters

Akufo-Addo hopes to be Ghana's center-right president

From Africa Review: "Voting for a presidential candidate from one party and choosing a parliamentary hopeful from another is called 'Skirt and Blouse' voting and threatens to have a say in the west African's upcoming election [on December 7]. This kind of voting is either a form of protest against certain parliamentary candidates or those deemed to have been imposed on them by the party hierarchy, or in other instances a vote of confidence in the parliamentary candidate and a thumbs down for the presidential one."

The article continues: "The phenomenon is now worrying the two main parties, the ruling [center-left] National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the main [center-right] opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) as they fervently campaign ahead of the December 7 election. Though there have always been threats of 'Skirt and Blouse' voting in the past, it has yet to result in a hung parliament where a President would not have the majority. 'This 'Skirt and Blouse' voting is what hit Nana Addo Akufo-Addo, the NPP presidential candidate who was also the candidate in the 2008 election, and it is likely to affect President John Mahama this year as there are growing threats by some supporters of the ruling party to do so,' said Accra-based political analyst Abraham Boateng."