Convention People's Party

Convention People's Party Apam Nkorɔfo Kuw (Akan)
Leader	Edmund N. Delle
Chairman	Edmund N. Delle
Nii Armah Akomfrah	Nii Armah Akomfrah
Founder	Kwame Nkrumah
Founded	June 12, 1949. Banned 1966. Refounded 29 January 1996.
Headquarters	House No. 64, Mango Tree Avenue, Asylum Down, Accra, Ghana
Youth wing	Convention People's Party Youth League
Ideology	Nkrumaism Socialism Pan-Africanism
Political position	Left-wing
Colors	Red, white and green
Slogan	"Forward ever, backward never" "Ghana Must Work Again the CPP   is emerging!"
6th Parliament of 4th Republic	1 / 275
Election symbol
Red cockerel on a white background
Party flag
Website
http://conventionpeoplesparty.org/
Politics of Ghana Political parties Elections

The Convention People's Party (CPP) (Akan: Apam Nkorɔfo Kuw) is a socialist political party in Ghana based on the ideas of the first President of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah.

The CPP was formed on 12 June 1949 by Kwame Nkrumah to campaign for the independence of the Gold Coast.^[1] It was the governing party under Nkrumah of the autonomous British colony of the Gold Coast from 1951 to 1957, and independent Ghana from 1957 to 1966. In 1964 the constitution was changed to make the CPP the only legal party in Ghana, making the nation a one-party state. The party was banned after the 24 February 1966 coup d'état by the National Liberation Council. Parties following in its tradition have used various names.^[2] The party was reformed from some of the Nkrumah factions in 1996.

Creation of the CPP

The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was formed on 4 August 1947 with the goal of bringing about independence for Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah thought the UGCC's opposition to the colonial rulers lacked the necessary vehemence and urgency; he wanted immediate independence. Breaking from the UGCC on these grounds, he founded the CPP with the motto "self-government now". On 9 January 1950 the CPP called for countrywide boycotts and strikes. In the course of these, two policemen were shot dead, and the CPP leadership was arrested and imprisoned. This only increased Nkrumah's popularity. When general elections were held in 1951, the CPP won decisively, despite the imprisonment of Dr Nkrumah and other party leaders. Nkrumah was subsequently released to form the colony's first African government.^[3]

Achieving independence

With all this background, Nkrumah formed the first African cabinet in the British Empire in 1951.^[1] This was not independence yet as he still rejected the idea that local rulers who favoured the British should be given a role in governing, since he viewed them as undemocratic.^[1] He founded the party with others including Dzenkle Dzewu, Saki Sheck, and Kojo Botsio.

In 1956 further elections were held, with the British promising that if the majority of the people called for it, a date for independence would be set.^[4] The CPP won 71 out 104 seats, paving the way for Ghana to gain its independence on 6 March 1957.^[4] In 1958, two pieces of legislation approved by the CPP would help hasten Nkrumah's downfall.^[4] One was the Trade Union Act, which made strikes illegal, and the Preventive Detention Act, which allowed the government to detain political opponents without trial.^[4] The final step was a heavily rigged referendum in 1964 which made the CPP the only legal party, with Nkrumah as president for life of both nation and party.^[4]

The stage was set for the overthrow of the CPP in 1966 in a coup d’état by the National Liberation Council.^[5] After the coup, the CPP was banned.

CPP rebirth

Samia Nkrumah, CPP Chairwoman, with the 52nd Prime Minister of Italy, Romano Prodi, delivering a speech to the Parliament of Italy.

The CPP remained dissolved until 29 January 1996, when the National Convention Party and the People's Convention Party merged to form a new Convention People's Party.^[6] The CPP has contested each election since 1996.

At the elections on 7 December 2004, the party won three out of 230 seats. Its candidate in the presidential elections, George Aggudey, won only 1.0% of the vote.

In the 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections, the party won one parliamentary seat: that of Samia Nkrumah in the Jomoro constituency. The presidential candidate, Paa Kwesi Nduom, performed below expectation, managing to get 1.4% of total valid votes.

Election results

Parliamentary elections

Election	Number of CPP votes	Share of votes	Seats	Outcome of election
2008	252,266	3.0%	1	Only one seat[7]
2004	257,466	3.0%	3	With others in opposition[8]
2000	85,643	1.3%	1	One seat in opposition[9]
1965		100%	198	One party state. Elected unopposed.[10]
1956			71	Parliament at independence in March 1957.[11]
1954			71	Majority in Legislative Assembly with CPP government.[12]
1951		Not available	Not available	First CPP government under colonial rule.[13]

Presidential elections

Election	Candidate	Number of votes	Share of votes	Outcome of election
2016	Ivor Greenstreet
2012	Abu Sakara
2008	Paa Kwesi Nduom	113,494	1.3%	Placed 3rd[14]
2004	George Aggudey	85,968	1.0%	4th of 4[15]
2000	George Hagan	115,641	1.8%	4th of 7[16]
1965	Kwame Nkrumah			Elected unopposed.[17]
1960	Kwame Nkrumah	1,016,076	89.07%	First Ghanaian president[18]

See also

• Nkrumah government

Notes

1. "Kwame Nkrumah - Early years", Encyclopaedia Britannica.
2. "A visit to the Gold Coast", pp. 107-11.
3. Finley, Cheryl. "Of anniversaries and bicentennials", December 2006: 15(18).
4. Kwame Nkrumah, "African Socialism Revisited", 1967.
5. "Heads of State of Ghana (1957 - To Date)". Ghananation.com.
6. "Arkaah says he can work with Rawlings despite". General News of Thursday, 1 February 1996. Ghana Home Page. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
7. "REPUBLIC OF GHANA - LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 7 DECEMBER 2008". Adam Carr. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
8. "REPUBLIC OF GHANA - LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 7 DECEMBER 2004". Adam Carr. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
9. "REPUBLIC OF GHANA - LEGISLATIVE ELECTION OF 7 DECEMBER 2000". Adam Carr. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
10. "About The Parliament of Ghana:History of the Parliament of Ghana". Parliament of Ghana. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
11. "17 July 1956 Legislative Assembly Election". Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
12. "15 June 1954 Legislative Assembly Election". Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
13. "08 February 1951 Legislative Assembly Election". Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
14. "REPUBLIC OF GHANA - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF DECEMBER 2008". Adam Carr. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
15. "07 December 2004 Presidential Election". Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
16. "REPUBLIC OF GHANA - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF DECEMBER 2000". Adam Carr. Retrieved 2010-09-19.
17. "Single Party Elections". Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved 2010-09-30.
18. "27 April 1960 Presidential Election". Albert C. Nunley. Retrieved 2010-09-30.

References

• Finley, Cheryl. "Of golden anniversaries and bicentennials: the convergence of memory, tourism, and national history in Ghana." Journeys 7.2. (December 2006), 15(18).
• "A visit to the Gold Coast", in Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 1, No. 1 (January 1928), pp. 107–111. Edinburgh University Press.

External links

• CPP website.
• Convention People's Party page at GhanaWeb.