Ghana’s highly anticipated presidential and parliamentary elections are underway today, December 7, 2024, with long queues forming at polling stations across the country.
A total of 18,774,159 registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at more than 40,000 polling stations to decide who will lead the country for the next four years, alongside 276 Members of Parliament.
In the race for the presidency, candidates must secure at least 50% plus one vote of the total valid ballots cast to emerge victorious, while parliamentary candidates need only a simple majority of the valid votes in their constituencies.
Twelve candidates are contesting the presidency, after a sad setback following the passing of Madam Akua Donkor, the Ghana Freedom Party’s presidential candidate, on October 28, 2024. Though her name remains on the ballot, any votes cast in her name will be considered invalid.
This year’s election carries additional significance as it represents a critical test for Ghana’s democratic processes. The country has a well-established reputation for peaceful elections and smooth transitions of power. Since its return to multi-party democracy in 1992, Ghana has held eight elections, including three instances in which power was peacefully transferred from the ruling party to the opposition.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), which has governed since 2016, is aiming to break Ghana’s “two-term jinx” – a longstanding pattern where no political party has remained in power for more than eight years. The NPP’s presidential candidate, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is locked in a fierce race against former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who is seeking a return to power after losing the previous two elections.
This election also sees the rise of two new parties attempting to break the dominance of the NPP and NDC. Nana Kwame Bediako, a businessman, is leading The New Force, while Alan Kyerematen, the former Minister for Trade and Industry, heads The Movement for Change. Both are seeking to offer voters alternatives to the traditional two-party system.
Other contenders in the presidential race include Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr. of the Great Consolidated Popular Party, George Twum-Barima-Adu (Independent), Hassan Abdulai Ayariga of the All People’s Congress, Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana, Mohammed Frimpong of the National Democratic Party, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa of the Convention People’s Party, and independent candidate Kofi Koranteng.
As the polls unfold, all eyes will be on voter turnout, political dynamics, and the outcome of this crucial election, which will define Ghana’s leadership for the next four years.
