Ghana is expected to get a new president after the December elections. The current vice president, Mahamudu Bawumia, and the former head of state, John Mahama, are the two vying for victory.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who was first elected in 2016, will come to the end of his second and final four-year term.
Over the past 30 years, this country has had a series of closely fought but peaceful elections. Ghana has a reputation for orderly transfer of power between administrations.
What are Ghanaians voting for?
On polling day, there will be two elections at the same time:
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The president – there are 12 candidates
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Parliament – voters in 275 constituencies across the country will be electing their Member of Parliament.
Who will be the next president of Ghana?
Mahamudu Bawumia (L) and John Mahama (R) are the two frontrunners to succeed Nana Akufo-Addo as president. [AFP]
Although there are 12 candidates running for the presidency, only two have a chance of winning. Since the return of multi-party politics in 1992 only the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have won.
The best ones are:
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Mahamudu Bawumia (NPP) – having served as Akufo-Addo’s vice president for eight years, the 61-year-old Oxford-educated economist may make history as the country’s first Muslim president. The former deputy governor of the central bank gained a reputation for his financial expertise. But that could be his downfall as he has come under fire after Ghana’s worst economic crisis in years under his watch.
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John Mahama (NDC) – winning this vote will represent the return of the 65-year-old as he has served as president for four and a half years since 2012 but was defeated in the 2016 election. Instead, he was given the name “Mr Dumsor”, a reference to the power cuts that disrupted his tenure. Amid the current difficult economy, Mahama has promised an “urgent reset” of the country that requires a leader with experience in leadership.
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Among the other candidates that have received attention are:
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Nana Kwame Bediako – this businessman, who is also known as “Cheddar”, has no political background but has had a great impact on social media and attracted new followers.
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Alan Kyerematen – the former minister, nicknamed Alan Cash, left the NPP last year after complaining that the presidential primaries were biased against him. He is likely to get NPP support from the party’s heartland in the Ashanti region.
What are the biggest problems?
Economic questions raised people’s concerns in the construction of elections, especially the rising cost of living. By the end of 2022, the annual inflation rate has reached 54%. It has declined since then but prices are still rising.
The World Bank has said that about 850,000 Ghanaians are likely to fall into poverty by 2022 due to rising prices of goods and services. These “new poor” joined the six million who were already poor.
By the end of 2022, the government’s funds had almost run out to fund the country’s budget, forcing Ghana to turn to the International Monetary Fund for help.
Youth unemployment and migration of Ghanaians seeking better opportunities elsewhere has also been a feature of recent years.
The NDC condemned this as “malfunctioning” and called for a reset.
The ruling NPP says it has built a strong economy that is “on the cusp of… transformation” so now is the time to change.
Concerns about the environmental impact of illegal gold mining – known in the country as “galamsey” – has become another big talking point. A series of protests over this practice, which has led to the contamination of several major rivers with dangerous chemicals, has been held in the run-up to the vote.
Both major parties agree that this issue needs to be resolved, but while the NPP says it is important for the economy to allow emerging miners to continue their work, the NDC is advocating for stricter laws and a ban on new licenses.
How does the election work?
The last election of 2020 is taking place under covid restrictions [AFP]
To win the presidential election in the first round, a candidate must receive more than half of the votes. If no one passes that threshold, then a second round for the two candidates with the most votes will be held at the end of December.
Parliamentary elections are held for the first time after the post and the winner is the candidate in each constituency with the largest share of the vote, even if that is less than 50%.
On election day, each voter can go to their polling station with their voter ID card, where they will have their fingerprints scanned on a computer and be given two ballot papers. Each person who has cast their vote will then insert their little finger marked with indelible ink to prevent second voting.
What happened in the last election?
Since 1992, Ghana has had many strong presidential elections.
In 2008, less than half a percentage point separated the two in the second round.
In the election four years later, the winner, Mahama, slipped to 50% in the first round with less than 80,000 votes.
That result prompted a legal complaint from the NPP, which said the tally sheets at some polling stations were tampered with. The challenge was unsuccessful, but it led the electoral commission to introduce new measures to ensure greater transparency.
Election observers have always praised the way the vote was cast.
When will we know the result?
As per the previous elections, the election commission is likely to announce the result on December 10.
Additional reports by Favor Nunoo and Komla Adom in Accra.
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