ACCRA, Ghana — On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced plans to impose restrictions on U.S. visas for individuals perceived to be undermining democracy in Ghana, in anticipation of the nation’s upcoming general election in December.

Ghana has a longstanding reputation for conducting peaceful, transparent, and fair elections, having successfully held such processes for nearly twenty years. The upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to occur on December 7, marking the ninth consecutive election since the nation re-established its multi-party democracy in 1992.

However, recent allegations regarding discrepancies in the voter registration process have raised alarms about a potential decline in democratic standards within the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the matter in a statement, clarifying that the new visa policy targets only those individuals engaging in actions that “undermine democracy,” explicitly excluding the government or the general populace of Ghana from any repercussions.

In a preceding development, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ghana’s main opposition party, initiated widespread protests across the nation, calling for a thorough audit of the voter registration lists. The NDC claims there have been thousands of unauthorized changes and removals of voters’ names.

In this election cycle, President Akufo-Addo will not seek re-election as he completes his second and final term. The race will feature a contest between former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC, who has previously lost in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, and current Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia from the New Patriotic Party.

Last year, similar visa restrictions were enforced by the U.S. State Department ahead of Nigeria’s general elections, targeting those “believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Nigeria.”