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Bawumia is number 1, Mahama number 8 on ballot paper for 2024 presidential election

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Politics Sep - 20 - 2024 , 18:02

After the balloting at the Electoral Commission on Friday evening, this is how the presidential candidates for the 2024 election will appear on the ballot paper.

Order on the Ballot paper

Mahamudu Bawumia (NPP)
Daniel Augustus Lartey (GCPP)
Akua Donkor (GFP)
Christian Kwabena Andrews (GUM)
Kofi Akpaloo (LPG)
Mohammed Frimpong (NDP)
Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Kumankuma (CPP)
John Dramani Mahama (NDC)
Hassan Ayariga (APC)
Kofi Koranteng (Independent)
George Twum-Barima-Adu (independent)
Nana Kwame Bediako (Independent)
Alan John Kwadwo Kyeremateng (Independent)

With the slogan '*Ɛnyɛ ɛnono!'* in Twi, Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) picked the 3rd position on the ballot paper for the 2024 presidential election. PHOTO BY EDNA SALVO KOTEY

How the balloting was done

The balloting by convention is always done in two folds, round one and round two, for only political parties with candidates before independent candidates, if there are any.

The first round by convention starts with who was first to file the nomination to the last person for the political parties.

That helps to determine who should pick first in the second round and the order of picking for the actual positions on the ballot paper.

For this year - 2024, since there were nine political parties with candidates, the first round started with Mahamudu Bawumia of NPP who was the first to file his nomination. His representative, Evans Nimako, Director of Elections at NPP picked number 1 in the first one and therefore gave him an advantage to be the first to pick in the second round.

John Dramani Mahama of NDC in the first round picked number 7, which meant he was to be the 7th person to pick in the second round.

The following is how the first round of picking went:

First round of picking for who will pick first for the ballot position in round two

Mahamudu Bawumia of NPP picked - 1

Kofi Akpaloo of LPG picked - 8

Christian Kwabena Andrews of GUM picked - 3

Hassan Abdulai Ayariga of APC picked - 2

John Dramani Mahama of NDC picked - 7

Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr of GCPP picked - 6

Akua Donkor of GFP picked - 5

Mohammed Frimpong of NDP picked - 4

Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong of CPP picked - 9

Second ballot

Before the second round, Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Fifi Kwetey of the National Democratic Congress, representing John Dramani Mahama raised an objection to one of the balls.

Dr Edward Omane Boamah, who is the Director of Elections at the NDC argued that there was a "halo of almost 0.5m at the junction between the translucent glass and the golden base" of one particular ball.

He argued that was unique to only one ball and therefore the NDC objected to it.

The EC agreed and changed the ball. That led to a back and forth and counter arguments from Jerry Asare of LPG and New Patriotic Party's Director of Elections, Evans Nimako.

After the arguments, the EC agreed to change the transparent glass bowl in which the balls had been placed and went in for a green opaque plastic bag. The numbers were written on a paper, endorsed at the back with a signature of an EC official and then placed in the balls, which were then dropped in the opaque green plastic bag.

When they went in to pick in the second round, the following is the position each one of them picked.