Chapter 3 Populism and various forms of it – from populist autocracy to revolutionary populism, to populist military dictatorship, and democratic populism – have been experienced by Ghanaian society over the 55 years of independence. To a large extent, even though those leaders who employed populist policies to govern or prolong their tenure could be classified as inherent populists, populism was also influenced and fuelled by the Ghanaian population, or the party followers. They adulated these leaders to gain favour and direct benefits from these governments. However, once these benefits cease to flow, such popular support quickly dwindles. Populism, therefore, places a high level of expectation on politicians to act, whether it is within their means or not, legally or illegally, in order to please the people. Even though the consequences of populism have sometimes been devastating for the country, it has shaped the relatively stable democratic dispensation that the country has enjoyed since 1992. Populism in Ghana has thus undergone various cycles, from grassroots populism in the immediate period after independence, to elite populism, and back to grassroots populism, all contributing to shaping the country's political landscape. However, the recent phenomenon of electoral violence fuelled by negative populism and propaganda could negatively shape the political sphere of Ghana. 93