Activities of political parties in Ghana since independence have been through a succession of metamorphoses.

About half of Ghana's life as an independent country has been under military rule, and during these periods (1966 - 1969, 1972 - 1979, 1982 - 1992) the banning of activities of political parties has always come with it. The lifting of this ban in 1990 to usher in the Fourth Republic of Ghana brought more than a sigh of relief to all Ghanaians.

Indications are that Ghanaians have now accepted democracy whole-heartedly and are prepared to fight "tooth and nail" to protect the democratic processes of the young Fourth Republic. The evidence of this is the proliferation of political parties in the country and the dynamic changes that keeps occurring every now and then in and among these political parties.

In recognition of the importance of political parties in building a true democratic culture, articles 55 and 56 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana together with the political parties law (PNDCL 281) set out the main legal framework for the formation and operation of political parties in Ghana. Every Ghanaian of voting age, good character and conduct has the right to form or join a political party. However for an organisation to operate as a political party, it must be registered with the Electoral Commission (EC). The conditions to be satisfied in order to be registered as a political party include the following:

* At least one of the founding members should be ordinarily resident and registered as a voter in each of the 110 districts of Ghana.
* It must have branches in all the 10 regions of Ghana and should, in addition, be organised in not less than two-thirds of the districts in each of the 10 regions.
* Its name, emblem, colour, motto or any other symbol must not have any ethnic, regional or religious connotation nor give the appearance that its activities are confined only to a part of Ghana.

The basis of these requirements is intended to ensure that political parties that emerge are really national in character and scope of operation and not factional or regional parties.

Eleven organisations applied for registration as political parties at the inception of the Fourth Republic.
Eight of these organisations were granted the final certificates. They were the National Convention Party (NCP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the People's Heritage Party (PHP), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the National Independence Party (NIP), the Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) Party, the Democratic People's Party (DPP), and the Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP).

From 1992 to 1996, a lot of changes occurred on the political scene. The NCP pulled out of the progressive alliance while the PHP, NIP and a section of the PNC merged to form the People's Convention Party (PCP). As at 18th September 1996, there were nine registered political parties in Ghana. They were the Democratic People's Party (DPP), Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) Party, Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), People's National Convention (PNC), People's Convention Party (PCP), National Democratic Congress (NDC), New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Convention Party (NCP). The NCP and the PCP have since merged to form the Convention Party (CP).