GHANA’S Electoral Commission (EC) has declared the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate and former President, John Dramani Mahama, as president-elect.
Announcing the election results Monday evening, the EC chairperson, Jean Mensa, said she was delighted that the election was free, fair and acceptable to all.
She said, “As the returning officer for the presidential election, and in fulfilment of my mandate as enshrined in law, I will now declare the outcome of the 2024 election. It is important to note that in Regulation 33:3 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the winner of the presidential election must obtain 50 per cent plus one (vote) at the poll to be declared the winner of the election.
“We have collated the results of the presidential results from all 16 administrative regions of which 267 of the constituencies have been captured. “We have not been able to receive results from nine constituencies because our offices have been besieged by political party supporters, making it impossible to complete the collation process. “That notwithstanding, the presidential results for the 267 constituencies, including the newly created one constituency, clearly established the winner of the 2024 presidential election.
“Simply put, even if all the votes from the nine constituencies were added to the candidates who placed second, it would not change the outcome of the election.
“It is important to note that the commission will update the record on the receipt of the presidential results from the nine outstanding constituencies.”
The results as announced
- Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP: 4,657,304 (41.61 per cent)
- Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr – Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) 60,673 (0.15 per cent)
- Christian Kwabena Andrews – Ghana Union Movement (GUM) 60,461 (0.15 per cent)
- Kofi Akpaloo – Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) 5,219 (0.09 per cent)
- Mohammed Frimpong – National Democratic Party (NDP) 4,413 (0.04 per cent)
- Nana Akosua Frimpomaa – Convention People’s Party (CPP) 23,397 (0.21 per cent)
- John Dramani Mahama – National Democratic Congress (NDC) 6,328,297 (56.55 per cent)
- Hassan Abdulai Ayariga – All People’s Congress (APC) 17,461 (0.16 per cent)
- Kofi Koranteng – Independent Candidate 3,320 (0.03 per cent)
- George Twum-Barima-Adu – Independent Candidate 3,091 (0.02 per cent)
- Nana Kwame Bediako – Independent Candidate 84,478 (0.05 per cent)
- Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen – Independent Candidate 31,202 (0.28 per cent)
Total valid votes cast = 11,191,422
Total rejected votes = 239,109
Total votes cast = 11,430,531
Total registered voters = 18,774,159
Percentage voter turnout based on the 267 constituencies stands at 60.9 per cent.
She said,”As a commission, we have fulfilled our avowed aspiration to imbibe transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and responsiveness at the heart of our operations. I can confidently say that with the help of God, we have fulfilled this aspiration and the expectation of the citizenry.
“We have conducted elections that are credible, fair, transparent and peaceful. Elections that have ensured that the will of the people, as expressed at the poll, elections that have guaranteed that every vote counts.
“As a country, we take pride in the fact that electoral processes initiated since 1992 uphold and guarantee the voter’s choice. We take pride in the fact that the voter’s choice as expressed at the polls is sacrosanct.”
On Sunday, December 8, The ICIR reported that the incumbent vice president and NPP candidate, Bawumia, conceded defeat to Mahama while reports were being collated.
In an address at his residence in the Cantonments area of Accra, Bawumia said the results his party collated indicated that Mahama won the poll.
“I have just called His Excellency John Dramani Mahama to congratulate him as President-Elect of the Republic of Ghana. I said during the signing of the peace pact that I was sure of two things. Ghana will win and peace will reign. The people of Ghana have spoken.
“The people have voted for change at this time, and we respect that decision with all humility. I thank God Almighty for how far he has brought me, and I submit to His will. I am making this concession speech before the official announcement by the Electoral Commission to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country,” he said.
Mahama and Bawumia had faced each other twice in the presidential elections with Mahama losing in both contests.
Mahama lost as an incumbent seeking re-election in 2016 and in 2020 when he threw his hat in the ring again to face Bawumia’s principal, President Nana Akufo-Ado whose tenure ends in January 2025. Bawumia was Akufo-Ado’s running mate in the two polls.
Bawumia, the first-ever Muslim to seek Ghana’s presidency on a major political party’s platform.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org