Ghana Votes In Tight Presidential Election Race
Ghanaians voted in elections on Saturday, with frontrunners Vice President and former central banker Mahamudu Bawumia and opposition ex-president John Mahama competing in a tight fight.
Ghana’s troubled economy became the primary campaign issue after the West African gold and chocolate producer defaulted on its debt, experienced significant inflation, and negotiated a $3 billion IMF bailout.
Voters will choose a successor to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who steps down after his legally allowed two terms and will also elect the country’s new parliament.
Voting opened at 0700 GMT and will close at 1700 GMT on Saturday, with early results expected on Sunday and full results for the presidential election expected by Tuesday.
We want to vote for change because the economic situation is dire,” retired police officer James Nsiah said as he waited to cast his ballot at a station in the capital Accra. “The cost of living is high.”
Ghana’s government temporarily blocked all land borders from Friday night to Sunday to “ensure the integrity” of the vote, according to an interior ministry statement.
Ghana’s two main parties, the present ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), have rotated in power nearly evenly since 1992, indicating a history of political stability.
The NPP, which uses the slogan “Break the 8” to allude to the typical two, four-year stints in power, thinks Bawumia will lead them to an unprecedented third term in office. However, he has failed to move away from criticism of Akufo-Addo’s economic record.
“I’ve known what I want to do as president since day one. “Give me the opportunity to transform this nation,” Bawumia implored thousands of supporters at a final rally in Accra.
He is a UK-educated economist who refers to an improving economy and the government’s continuous intentions for digitalisation to facilitate business, as well as free education and health services.
– A ’24-hour economy’.
Some analysts gave him an edge because of voter dismay with NPP economics, but the former president faced criticism from those who remember government financial woes and massive power cuts during his time in office.
Both major candidates are from the north of the country, traditionally a NDC stronghold, but now more fragmented, making the region a key battleground.
While the economy was key, Ghana also faces an increasing risk of spillover in its northern regions from jihadist conflicts in Niger and Burkina Faso, where military juntas rule after coups.
The spread of illegal gold mining also became an election issue. Akufo-Addo promised to stop illegal mining, but it has expanded, poisoning riverways and impacting cacao farmlands — a major source of export income.
AFP
