EC declares Mahama as President-elect

John Dramani Mahama has been declared the President-elect of last Saturday’s general election.

The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) and Returning Officer of the presidential election, Jean Mensa, who made the declaration at the commission’s Corporate Head Office in Accra last night, said Mr Mahama garnered 6,328,397 (6.32 million) votes, representing 56.55 per cent of the valid votes cast to clinch the incontrovertible win.

His closest contender, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) polled 4,657,304 (4.65 million), representing 41.61 per cent of the total valid votes cast.

The EC chairperson explained that she relied on results from 267 constituencies, as results from nine constituencies were outstanding.

The nine outstanding constituencies – Awutu Senya East, Nsawam Adoagyiri, Akwatia, Suhum, Techiman South, Dome Kwabenya, Ablekuma North, Ahafo Ano North and Damongo – have 947,116 total registered voters, Mrs Mensa said.

However, even if the closest contender had won all the remaining ballots from the outstanding constituencies, he could not garner enough votes to tilt the 50 per cent plus one vote required to be duly elected as President in his favour, hence the declaration of the candidate of the NDC as the winner of the presidential poll, Mrs Mensa explained.

There were 11,430,531 total votes cast out of the registered voter population of 18,774,159, representing a voter turnout of 60.9 per cent, based on 267 constituency results.

Mrs Mensa said the commission had upheld the choice of the Ghanaian people.

"The voters of Ghana have spoken and their choice will today be upheld by the Electoral Commission of Ghana," she stated.

Other results

With rejected ballots summing up to 239,109, businessman Nana Kwame Bediako, aka Cheddar of The New Force who ran as an independent candidate, polled the third largest votes of 84,478, an announcement that drew applause from the President-elect and his family who were watching the declaration of results from the comfort of their home.

His votes amount to 0.75 per cent of the total valid votes cast.

Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, who led the Movement for Change as an independent contestant, polled the fourth largest number of votes of 31,202, representing 0.28 per cent of the valid votes cast.

This was followed by Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Kumankuma of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) who polled 23,397 votes or 0.21 per cent of the valid votes cast; Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Party (APC) polled 17,461 of valid votes cast or 0.16 per cent; Dr Daniel Augustus Lartey of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) polled 16,673 votes or 0.15 per cent, with Christian Kwabena Andrews of the Ghana Union Party (GUM) polling 16,461 votes, representing 0.15 per cent of the valid votes.

Independent contestant, Kofi Koranteng, polled 3,320 or 0.03 per cent of the valid votes, and Kofi Akpaloo of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG) polled 5,219 valid votes, making up a 0.09 per cent share of valid votes cast.

Mohammed Frimpong of the National Democratic Party (NDP) polled 0.04 per cent of the votes, amounting to 4,413 ballots, with another independent contestant, George Twum-Barima-Adu, having 0.02 per cent of the ballots or 2,091 valid votes.

Transparent elections

Mrs Mensa said the commission had fulfilled its aspirations of transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and responsiveness in conducting the elections.

"We have conducted elections that are credible, fair, transparent and peaceful," she emphasised.

The EC chairperson recounted the commission's efforts to ensure the credibility of the election, including re-exhibiting the provisional voters register, waiving fees for voters to verify their registration details online and opening up the Inter-Party Advisory Committee meetings to the citizenry.

She added that when a defaced ballot paper was leaked, the commission swiftly destroyed ballots for the affected regions and printed new ones within a week.

Mrs Mensa highlighted the commission's commitment to upholding the integrity of the election, stating, "Our mandate is not to make anyone a President or a Member of Parliament, but rather to conduct and undertake credible and transparent elections and electoral processes."

"The election results, which were accepted by the Vice-President even before the official declaration, demonstrate the transparency and robustness of the electoral process in Ghana," she stated.

Comeback

Mr Mahama, who was President from 2012, lost to the current President in 2016, who went on to win the 2020 polls.

He put up a spirited campaign, having taken into account loads of advice and drawing deep on his experience.

The 2024 polls were won largely on economic hardship, with inflation rising to a 22-year high in December 2022, depleted foreign reserves and exchange rate depreciation of many folds, which has seen the value of the local currency worsen from GH¢3.6 to the dollar in 2016 to a height of about GH¢17 to the dollar.

He also campaigned on introducing a 24-hour Economy to enable industry to operate round the clock to create more jobs to solve the growing unemployment in the country, supporting the private sector, especially making the country a pharmaceutical hub, recovering any looted money, fighting corruption vigorously, reviewing the Free SHS policy, and training one million youth in coding, among others.

Attendees

Present were the two Deputy Chairmen of the EC, Dr Bossman Eric Asare, in charge of Corporate Services, and Samuel Tettey, in charge of Operations.

There were representatives of political parties and the independent presidential contestants in the 2024 presidential election, as well as local and foreign observer teams.

The rest were members of the Diplomatic Community, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer; the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, and representatives of development partners.