Managing Election- Relation Violence for Democratic Stability in Ghana politicized, or securitized depending on whether, first, the issue is not a matter for a state action; second, the issue could be managed within the standard political domain; or third, the issue demands emergency action beyond the state's standard political procedures(Emmers, 2007). This implies that it would take a securitizing act for an issue to move from one end of the spectrum to the other. The idea is that every act of securitization brings to bear the needed political support in terms of decision-making as well as the allocation of resources(Emmers, 2007). It is instructive to note, however, that the act can only flourish once the relevant audiences are convinced of the existential threat to the referent object. In other words, the process of securitizing language can only be successful when there is a general consensus that political language which is insulting in nature is threatening the advancement of democracy and rule of law in Ghana, hence the need for extra resources to deal with the problem. The process of securitization presents immense benefits to the state in terms of the efficient management of complex problems as well as the possibility of having overwhelming support for dealing with issues that are detrimental to state security. Conversely, although of great value in current security thinking, the theory of securitization has its limitations. Emmers(2007) and several others argue that in terms of translating the theory into reality, security actors can meddle in civilian activities, curtail certain civil liberties, and also hijack the whole securitization process. For instance, in the case of Ghana, governments, through state institutions, can criminalize free speech and undermine media 22 freedom. 22 106