Managing Election- Relation Violence for Democratic Stability in Ghana gate(Vice-President, National Security Coordinator, Minister of the Interior and the Northern Regional Minister who is chair of the Regional Security Committee). These circumstances placed the killings squarely within the associational politics of the country, and the fact that the killers have not been found has not improved the underlying terrain of accusations and counter­accusations(Ahorsu and Gebe, 2011; Tsikata and Seini, 2004). A similar situation is emerging at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region where the Paramount Chief of the Techiman Traditional Area has been having problems with the chief of Tuobodom, a nearby town in the same region. Historically, the Tuobodom chief swears allegiance to the Asantehene though the area is within the administrative district of the Techiman Municipality. The Techimanhene(Chief of Techiman), feeling that the area falls within his territory, installed a rival chief at Tuobodom and this has generated a protracted proxy chieftaincy crisis that feeds into the interests of both the Asantehene and the Paramount Chief of the Techiman Traditional Council(MyJoy Online, 2012). In 2009, the Asantehene threatened to arrest the Chief of Techiman after it was reported to him that the Chief of Techiman had caused the capture and assault of the Tuobodom chief. One of the concerns raised by the Asantehene was that the Chief of Techiman thought that'his regime' was now in power(MyJoyOnline, 2010)(Mensah, 2011). Such associational politics is evident all over the country and remains a source of tension before, during and after general elections. Traditional authorities have a following and, therefore, are important for political mobilization purposes. Winning over communities and 167