Chapter 9 of 7.88% of the total contestants as against 92.12% for men, 30% of all female contestants for the district assembly elections were elected compared to 36% for men. Although the district assembly elections are non-partisan in theory, in practice, there are strong political party biases. Focus Group Discussions held in the three districts of Jomoro, KEEAM and Kpandu revealed that that one of the primary reasons why women were not voted into the respective District Assemblies in the 2006 local government elections was due to the fact that they were perceived to be affiliated to the wrong political party. Women's success in competitive political elections in Ghana is inextricably linked to political parties and as such, it is imperative to address the structural barriers in partisan politics that militates against women's effective participation. Case Studies In Ghana, election-related violence manifest as a result of clashes between political parties or positions rather than as a result of gender. However, the three cases below are useful for examining the extent to which election-related violence against women is not just a result of their political party affiliation but rather a combination of patriarchal ideology, gender and their political party affiliation. On 23 December 2005, disagreements erupted at the congress of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) in Koforidua between supporters of former President Rawlings and those of Dr. Obed Asamoah over the development of some structures 292