GHANAIANS are set for presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday, December 7.
They will also be deciding who occupies the 276 parliamentary seats across the country’s 16 regions.
The presidential poll appears like a two-horse race that had characterised all the country’s presidential polls since its Fourth Republic.
While some see the battle for the Jubilee House as another showdown between former president John Dramani Mahama and the incumbent vice president Mahamudu Bawumia, others are hoping for a huge upset from other candidates participating in the exercise.
The ICIR reports that Bawumia and Mahama have faced each other in the past two polls as a candidate and running mate of the country’s two dominant parties, respectively.
Mahama lost at both polls. He lost while in power and while seeking a second term in 2016. He also lost to Bawumia and his principal and incumbent President Nana Akufo-Ado in 2020.
Bawumia flies the flag of the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), while Mahama, who seeks a second and final term of four years, is a candidate of the major opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Each party has been in power for 16 years since the Fourth Republic. The two parties have rotated power for a maximum of two terms since the Fourth Republic as the ruling NPP seeks to achieve an unprecedented consecutive third win.
The NPP has been in power since 2016 when it produced the outgoing Akufo-Ado who leaves office in January 2025.
Factors shaping current poll
This is the first time the two major parties will pick their candidates from the country’s northern region. Bawumia will also be the first Muslim in Ghana’s history to stand in election in a major political party, meaning that he would become Ghana’s first Muslim president if he wins.
Other candidates
There are other 10 candidates, including a woman, vying for the presidency.
Eight of the candidates are sponsored by political parties while four are running independently.
Among the independent candidates is an entrepreneur Nana Bediako, whom many see as capable of causing a major upset. He is very influential among the youth, aged 18 – 35 years, who form a large population (10.3 million) of the country’s 18.7 million registered voters.
Since 1992, Ghana, Africa’s largest gold producer, has enjoyed uninterrupted democracy and has produced presidents including John Agyekum Kufuor (2001-2009); John Evans Atta Mills (2009-2012); John Dramani Mahama (2012-2016) Nana Akufo-Addo (2017 till date).
Candidates and their manifesto
Mahama has consistently attacked the Akufo-Addo-led government for allegedly plummetting the nation’s economy, attracting mounting debts through borrowings, and plunging the country into debt. He lampoons the government for causing growing inflation and making life unbearable for the Ghanaians.
He promises the citizens to revamp the economy, tame inflation and deliver better governance.
On his part, Bawumia is banking on what he describes as his principal’s feats in office, including expanding service digitisation and advancing technology, infrastructure development such as roads and power, and expanded investment in health and education, which has led to free education in senior secondary schools.
He promises to create jobs for the teeming unemployed population.
However, Bediako is warming himself into the youth population, promising to end waste, create opportunities and offer the best leadership the nation has ever seen.
Will ‘John’ become president again?
Except for Akufo-Addo, one name that has been consistent in the country’s presidency is ‘John’.
Three presidents had the name from 2001 till 2016. The leaders are John Agyekum Kufuor (2001-2009); John Evans Atta Mills (2009-2012); and John Dramani Mahama (2012-2016)
The name may return to power should Mahama win.
Data that will count during the poll
There are 18,774,1592 registered voters out of which 9,084,179 are males and 9,689,980 are females.
The population of youth aged 18 to 35 years is 10,343,810, while the number of persons with disabilities among the voters is 55,492.
Voting will take place at 40,976 polling units and 328 special voting centres.
801 candidates are vying for the parliament among which 682 are males and 119 are females.
Businesses to open, vehicles to move during poll
Several residents interviewed in Accra by The ICIR on Friday, December 6, said the elections would not stop businesses from running.
“Businesses will open tomorrow (on election day) as you see today, though some may not open because the owners will go to vote in places far from where they run their businesses, Kofi Aboagye, a driver, told our reporter.
He added, “We are aware that some countries, including Nigeria, always restrict vehicular movement and stop people from conducting their businesses during elections. It is not like that here in Ghana. Elections don’t stop people from going about their lawful businesses. We are more civilised with elections here, judging from how we have fared over the years.”
He asserted that all elections are done electronically, with accreditation and voting going simultaneously.
The ICIR reporter observed that there was no panic buying as seen in Nigeria during elections because the people said they could go anywhere and do whatever they desired on election day so long such activities do not obstruct the election process.
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