‘Skirt and Blouse’ voting is a term in the politics of Ghana where a voter chooses the presidential candidate of one party and a parliamentary candidate of another party on the same ballot. It is an alternative name for split-ticket voting.
‘Skirt and blouse’ voting can be seen as a form of protest against particular presidential or legislative candidates that are imposed upon voters by party elites or as a vote of no confidence in particular candidates.
Certain experts also attribute the phenomenon to the increasing political consciousness of the nation’s electorate.
Electorates at the Ahanta West Constituency in the Western Region seems to have endorsed the ‘skirt and blouse’ phenomenon in the just ended 2020 polls as provisional results from some Polling Centers reveals the phenomenon.
Provisional results from the Hospital ‘A’ Polling Center for the Presidential: Nana Akufo-Addo (NPP) – 177, John Mahama (NDC) – 108 and Christian Andrews (GUM) – 7.
Meanwhile, provisional Parliamentary results have: Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum (NPP) – 138, Dr. Okumi Andoh (NDC) – 146, Ismail Buadii (GUM) – 5, Ebo Mensah (CPP) – 0, Nathaniel, Adusei (APC) – 3 and Dominic Akalga (PNC) – 0
At the Hospital ‘B’ Polling Center for the Presidential, Nana Akufo-Addo (NPP) had 170, John Mahama (NDC) – 104 and Christian Andrews (GUM) with 7 votes, while the Parliamentary results stood at: Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum (NPP) – 135, Dr. Okumi Andoh (NDC) – 144, Ismail Buadii (GUM) – 4, Ebo Mensah (CPP) – 0, Nathaniel Adusei (APC) – 2 and Dominic Akalga (PNC) – 0.
At the Post Office Agona-Nkwanta Polling Center for the Presidential, Nana Akufo-Addo (NPP) garnered 157 votes, John Mahama (NDC) garnered 118 votes while Christian Andrews (GUM) garnered 7 votes.
For the Parliamentary Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum (NPP) had 120, Dr. Okumi Andoh (NDC) had 155, Ismail Buadii (GUM) had 4, Ebo Mensah (CPP) had 1, Nathaniel Adusei (APC) had 1 and Dominic Akalga (PNC) had 0.
The Old Dixcove Station ‘A’ Polling Center: reveals that Nana Akufo-Addo secured 169 votes while John Mahama secured 140 votes with Christian Andrews securing 14 votes, as against the Parliamentary where Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum (NPP) had 139, Dr. Okumi Andoh (NDC) 176, Ismail Buadii (GUM) 8, Ebo Mensah (CPP) 0, Nathaniel Adusei (APC) 0 and Dominic Akalga (PNC) 0.
The Old Dixcove Station ‘B’ Polling Center saw in the Presidential Nana Akufo-Addo with 163 votes, John Mahama with 125 votes and Christian Andrews with 15 votes, while the Parliamentary gave Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum (NPP) 126 votes, Dr. Okumi Andoh (NDC) 172, Ismail Buadii (GUM) 6, Ebo Mensah (CPP) 1, Nathaniel Adusei (APC) 3 and Dominic Akalga (PNC) 0.
At the Apowa Pentecost Central Entiya Polling Center, Nana Akufo-Addo obtained 273 votes with John Mahama obtaining 79 votes while Christian Andrews obtained 8 votes.
In the case of the Parliamentary, Lawyer Ebenezer Kojo Kum (NPP) had 236 votes, Dr. Okumi Andoh (NDC) had 110, Ismail Buadii (GUM) had 7, Ebo Mensah (CPP) had 2, Nathaniel Adusei (APC) had 1 and Dominic Akalga (PNC) 0.
Meanwhile, prior to the elections, Flagbearer of the NPP Nana Akufo-Addo advised the electorates against voting ‘skirt and blouse’ in the polls to give him adequate representation in Parliament.
President Akufo-Addo explained that the nature of Ghana’s politics required the President to have adequate representation in Parliament for easy passage of bills and legislative instruments to make his work easier.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
