Managing Election- Relation Violence for Democratic Stability in Ghana according to its judgement of the government's record vis-à-vis its promises. Thus, politicians can be disciplined to further the collective interest if the people can easily replace corrupt and inefficient leadership through voting(Besley, 2006; Ferejohn, 1999). In this way, elections can promote accountability in governance by compelling politicians to respond to the needs of the people.By the same token, elections can help to keep authoritarian tendencies of rulers in check while safeguarding the rights and liberties of citizens. This makes the phenomenon of electoral violence and the multiple accusations of fraud and malpractices that accompany elections in Ghana very troubling indeed(Aning, 2001). In 1992 for example, the opposition NPP, believing that the 1992 presidential election'was(and not must have been) rigged', proceeded to boycott the subsequent parliamentary elections and the first parliament of the Fourth Republic(Boahen, 1995). The obvious denial of political representation to a section of Ghanaians, which was the logical outcome of the boycott, unquestionably runs counter to the fundamental tenets of democracy. While they are central to the process of democratic stability and longevity, elections can also serve as catalysts for armed conflicts and democratic reversals(African Union, 2010). This can happen especially when election candidates fail to play by the rules of the game and rather resort to illegitimate tactics, such as ballot fraud and violence, to obtain electoral advantage. All things considered, elections are about power; more precisely, the acquisition and maintenance of political power. They are, therefore, highly competitive processes that are often characterized by disharmony of interest among key competitors. Electoral competitions are particularly fraught in contexts where the process is abused – as is 38