Ghana retains its star status
Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Ghana on Wednesday December 7, 2016 and by Friday night the electoral commission had declared the opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo as winner of the election. When formally inaugurated on Saturday, January 7, 2017 Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will become the Ghana’s seventh constitutional Head of State since Osagyefo […]
Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Ghana on Wednesday December 7, 2016 and by Friday night the electoral commission had declared the opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo as winner of the election. When formally inaugurated on Saturday, January 7, 2017 Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will become the Ghana’s seventh constitutional Head of State since Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana a Republic on July 1, 1960.
After a hard fought battle, the election process which was largely peaceful heralded a change of power with Mr Akufo-Addo triumphantly taking 53.85% of the vote to incumbent John Mahama’s 44.4%. This gives him a resounding victory on his third bid for the presidency. Notably for Ghana, a country of 27.4m people, this is the third turnover of power from a ruling party to the opposition since it adopted the Fourth Republican Constitution in 1992 in pursuance of multi-party democracy after long and torturous years of military rule. This is the first time a president elected under the system has been voted out after the first four-year term in office after seven peaceful presidential elections.
Ghanaian voters apparently blamed the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the country’s economic woes against the backdrop of an economy that has slowed since President John Mahama took office in 2013. This was partly because of a slump in global prices for its main exports of gold, cocoa and oil. Ghana also witnessed a slump in growth to less than 4% after it had shot up to 14% in 2011 after the country started pumping oil, although falling oil prices may have taken the blame for spending the expected windfall before it had arrived.
A firm democratic culture is also in evidence in Ghana as during the elections, Ghanaians waited patiently, genuinely believing that their votes will make a difference while the electoral commission took a painstaking 52 hours to count and verify their votes. Despite turning to the IMF for a bail-out last year, many voters expected politicians to bring development to their areas rather than the whole country. Many people still voted along ethnic lines; with the central Ashanti region reliably backing Mr Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) which had also taken a majority of seats in parliament and the Volta in the east for the NDC.
We greatly admire the comportment and maturity with which Ghanaians conducted themselves during one of the most peaceful and successful elections witnessed as a country, a feat that has made Ghana once again a bright beacon of hope and another win for vibrant democracy in Africa and the world at large. We also congratulate incumbent President John Dramani Mahama, who has now joined the ranks of eminent African statesmen for his display of matured statesmanship in swiftly conceding defeat to the President-elect. His swift concession quickly dissipated tension and thwarted any possibility of unrest.
With the election of Akufo-Addo, a human rights lawyer of international repute, expectations are very high. Thankfully, the former foreign minister, now President-elect, is conversant with the enormity of the task ahead. In rekindling the spirit of national unity, the President-elect will be guided by the need to move Ghana forward. This he could do by fulfilling his promises on the campaign trail and appointing men and women who understand the problem at hand and are prepared to roll up their sleeves to work to deliver the much needed necessary solution.
We implore Ghanaians to be patient and give more time for the new administration to settle and deal with the multitude of problems. We look forward to a peaceful, smooth and transparent transfer of power to the incoming government. Congratulations, our sisters and brothers in Ghana. You have brought added pride to Africa.