New Patriotic Party Ahofama Foforo Kuw | |
---|---|
Abbreviation | NPP |
Leader | Nana Akufo-Addo |
Chairman | Stephen Ayensu Ntim [1] |
General Secretary | Justin Frimpong-Kodua [1] |
Founded | 28 July 1992 |
Preceded by | UGCC, United Party(UP), Progress Party |
Headquarters | Accra, Ghana |
Student wing | TESCON |
Youth wing | NPP Youth Wing |
Muslim wing | Nasara |
Women's Wing | NPP Women's Wing |
Ideology | Liberal conservatism Conservatism [2] Liberalism [3] |
Political position | Centre-right |
Regional affiliation | Democracy Union of Africa |
International affiliation | International Democracy Union [4] |
Colors | Red, White, Blue |
Slogan | Development in Freedom |
Parliament | 137 / 275 |
Pan African Parliament | 2 / 5 |
Election symbol | |
African Elephant | |
Party flag | |
Website | |
newpatrioticparty | |
Danquah-Dombo-Busia Tradition |
The New Patriotic Party (NPP; Twi : Ahofama Foforo Kuw) is a centre-right and liberal-conservative political party in Ghana. [5] [6] [7] Since the democratisation of Ghana in 1992, it has been one of the two dominant parties in Ghanaian politics, with its leading rival being the centre-left National Democratic Congress (NDC). [8] [9] John Kufuor of the NPP was President of Ghana from 2001 to 2009. [10] [11] At the elections held on 7 December 2004, the party won 129 out of 230 seats. [10] The NPP candidate was Kufuor, who was re-elected as president with 52.75% of the vote. The New Patriotic Party symbol is the African elephant and the New Patriotic Party colours are red, white, and blue.
In the 2008 general election, the NPP candidate Nana Akufo-Addo conceded to losing in the closely contested presidential election runoff amidst accusations of vote rigging, with Akufo-Addo receiving 49.77% of the votes, versus 50.23% for John Atta Mills, the NDC candidate. In the 2012 general election, the NPP faced a similar situation from vote results provided by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC). Nana Akufo-Addo received 47.74% of the vote, while NDC candidate John Mahama received 50.7% amidst accusations of electoral fraud. [12] Akufo-Addo was chosen as the NPP's candidate for a third time in the 2016 elections and defeated Mahama in the first round (winning 53.83% of the votes). [13]
The New Patriotic Party has so far contested every national general election in Ghana since the commencement of the fourth republic in 1992, with the exception of the parliamentary elections of 1992. [14] The New Patriotic boycotted the 1992 parliamentary elections, alleging that the 1992 presidential election held earlier was rigged. The New Patriotic Party wrote a book title 'Stolen Verdict' to register its protest against the 1992 presidential election. [15]
The New Patriotic Party is considered as an offshoot of the United Gold Coast Convention, which effectively evolved into the United Party in the late 1950s, the Progress Party in the late 1960s, the Popular Front Party in the 1970s and the All People's Party in the early 1980s. [16]
After more than a decade of military rule by Jerry John Rawlings, the government, along with some stakeholders, drafted a constitution for which a Referendum election was organized. After the people of Ghana approved the new constitution in an election (held on 28 April 1992), the ban on party politics in Ghana was lifted, allowing other parties including the NPP to be officially launched. The NPP's flagbearer was Professor Albert Adu Boahen, a scholar and a long-time critic of the Rawlings military government. However, the NPP lost the 1992 election overwhelmingly to the Progressive alliance of the National Democratic Congress, Eagle and the National Convention Party whose candidate was Jerry John Rawlings. The NPP boycotted the parliamentary elections and hence won no seats in the new Parliament. [17]
The NPP also lost the 1996 elections again to Rawlings' party but this time, their flagbearer was John Kufuor. In the 2000 and 2004 elections, John Kufuor won both elections ushering in a new government for the first time in the fourth republic of Ghana.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kukurudu lost the 1992 presidential elections to the National Democratic Congress led by Jerry John Rawlings. [18] Despite the elections being declared as free and fair by international observers, Professor Adu Boahen, the NPP candidate, alleged that there was heavy rigging by the Interim National Electoral Commission headed by Nana Oduro Nimapau and hence the NPP as well as the National Independence Party, People's Heritage Party and the People's National Convention boycotted the parliamentary elections. [18] [19] The decision to not contest in the parliamentary elections which was held a couple of weeks after the presidential election at the time meant that the National Democratic Congress, National Convention Party and the Eagle Party which was already a coalition won almost all the parliamentary seats available. One seat was actually won by an independent candidate, Hawa Yakubu.
This protest however led to some reforms in the electoral system, notably the use of transparent ballot boxes at polling stations, issuing of voter ID cards and the use of indelible ink (which lasted for a month) to mark people who had been registered to avoid double voting. [20]
After more than a decade of military rule by Jerry John Rawlings, the government, along with some stakeholders, drafted a constitution for which a Referendum election was organized. [21] [22] After the people of Ghana approved the new constitution in an election (held on 28 April 1992), the ban on party politics in Ghana was lifted, allowing other parties including the NPP to be officially launched.New Patriotic Party, Biography According to the NPP leadership, figures in certain constituencies had been massaged, hence the results published by the Electoral Commission and the Ghana press (mostly Peace FM online and Ghanaweb) were not accurate.New Patriotic Party, Biography
After the defeat in 1992, the NPP chairman at the time, Peter Ala Adjetey, stated that the party was resolved to do their homework and wrestle power from the NDC in the 1996 election. They made the decision that regardless of the results, they would contest for parliamentary seats to stop what was seen as an NDC monopoly in Parliament.
Prior to the party convention, it appeared that the overwhelming favourite to become the next presidential candidate was a well renowned economist known as Kwame Pianim. However, some members of the party led by Florence Ekwam challenged Pianim's eligibility due to a prior conviction during the PNDC era. The Supreme Court of Ghana declared Pianim as ineligible and hence he couldn't be considered for nomination. On 20 April 1996, John Kufuor was nominated as the NPP presidential candidate with 1034 out of 2000 delegates drawn from all the 200 Constituencies to run for the presidency in the general election held on 10 December 1996. This time, both presidential and parliamentary elections were held on the same day, unlike the previous election, as part of the reforms by the National Electoral Commission headed by Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.
The NPP gained an unlikely association from the vice-president of Ghana, Kow Nkensen Arkaah, whose party (National Convention Party) had severed their alliance with the National Democratic Congress. The NPP hence formed what was deemed as the "Great Alliance" with the NCP and Vice-president Arkaah was nominated to be the running mate of Kuffuor. After campaigning for less than nine months, Kufuor polled 39.62% of the popular votes to Jerry Rawlings' 57% in the 1996 election. Despite the elections being declared as free and fair by international observers, the New Patriotic Party alleged that the election had been rigged by the National Electoral Commission and President Rawlings. The NPP however won a substantial number of seats in the Ghana parliament and effectively ended the NDC monopoly.
On 23 October 1998, Kufuor was re-nominated by the New Patriotic Party to run again for the presidency. President Rawlings, facing term limits, was due to retire after the 2000 elections. Pianim, however, resigned from the NPP and Peter Ala Adjetey, the party chairman, handed over the chairmanship to Samuel Odoi-Sykes. Aliu Mahama stood as the running mate of John Kufuor. The NDC in turn nominated Vice-president John Atta Mills as its presidential candidate.
Kufuor won the first round of the presidential election, held on 7 December 2000, with 48.4% of the popular votes. His closest challenger was Atta Mills with 44.8% of the votes. The electoral rules in Ghana mandate that the winner of elections must cross a 50% threshold. A run off election was hence organised. All the parties came together to support the NPP including the Convention People's Party, Reform Party and the United Ghana Movement against the NDC.
In the second round, held on 28 December 2000, Kufour was victorious, taking 56.9% of the vote. When Kufuor was sworn in on 7 January 2001, it marked the first time in history that an incumbent government had peacefully surrendered power to the opposition. [23]
2000 election
The NPP also lost the 1996 elections again to Rawlings' party but this time, their flagbearer was John Kufuor. In the 2000 elections, John Kufuor won both elections ushering in a new government for the first time in the fourth republic of Ghana.New Patriotic Party, Biography
The New Patriotic Party's president, John Agyekum Kufuor was once again re-elected in the Ghana general election, 2004, presidential and parliamentary elections held on 7 December 2004, earning 52.45% of the popular vote in the first round and thus avoiding a run-off, while at the same time, the New Patriotic Party, was able to secure more seats in the Parliament. [24]
Several government officials within the Kufuor administration resigned their cabinet positions to contest for the NPP flagbearership in July 2007. This included the likes of Nkrabea Effah Dartey, Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan John Kyerematen and 13 other contenders. Akufo-Addo and Kyerematen were the two leading candidates according to the pundits. However, Akufo-Addo won 48% of the votes in the first round of the party delegates election. The NPP set aside a provision in the party's constitution which required that candidates obtain 50% + one vote of delegates to secure the party's nomination thus making Nana Akufo-Addo the New Patriotic party's candidate for the 2008 presidential elections.New Patriotic Party, Biography
In the 7 December 2008 presidential elections, Akufo-Addo placed first and received more votes than John Atta Mills, amassing 4,159,439 votes, representing 49.13% of the total votes cast; however, he fell short of the 50% needed for an outright victory. It was the best-ever performance for a first-time presidential candidate since the beginning of Ghana's Fourth Republic in 1992. In the run-off election, however, Mills received 4,521,032 votes, representing 50.23%, and thus defeated Akufo-Addo.
The run-off elections were marred with controversy and once again, although international observers had expressed satisfaction with the way and manner the elections were conducted, the NPP alleged voter fraud. According to the NPP leadership, figures in certain constituencies had been massaged, hence the results published by the Electoral Commission and the Ghana press (mostly Peace FM online and Ghanaweb) were not accurate. Also, NPP activists like Kwabena Agyapong and Elizabeth Ohene were allegedly intimidated in areas of the Volta Region of Ghana, a region where the NPP had never won any constituency. The complaint led to a delay in the declaration of the results, sparking angry NDC demonstrators onto the streets of the capital city Accra. Tony Aidoo, an NDC activist, fired up these NDC protesters by dismissing the NPP claims as "stupid". The chairman of the electoral commission, Kwadwo Afari Djan, eventually organised a press conference and claimed that the Tain Constituency had some issues and hence another run-off election had to be organised in that constituency alone. After revising the figures, he asserted that although John Atta Mills was leading in the popular votes, the number of registered voters in the Tain constituency were enough to swing the election the other way. Therefore, the final results would be declared after the Tain constituency results had been certified and declared. An election was held in that constituency on 2 January 2009 and Mills won by a very comfortable margin of 90.6% to 4%.
The NPP officially went back into opposition in January 2009 when John Kufuor handed over power to John Atta Mills.
On Saturday, 7 August 2010, the New Patriotic Party re-elected Akufo-Addo as its presidential candidate for the 2012 presidential election. Akufo-Addo received the votes of 79% of the delegates. The electoral convention was the largest that any political party had ever convened in any African state. [8] The New Patriotic Party campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, [8] and to provide free SHS (Secondary High School) education for the population of Ghana. [8]
Following Akufo-Addo's defeat in the presidential election, the New Patriotic Party and Akufo-Addo contested the vote results provided by the Electoral Commission of Ghana, alleging that the 2012 general elections were rigged. They cited tampered vote counts and vote rigging from polling stations in South Ghana. [25] The New Patriotic Party unsuccessfully asked the Electoral Commission of Ghana and its chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan to use the "72 hours withdrawal of election results law" that is written in the constitution of Ghana to "investigate" electoral fraud. The party decided not to concede defeat until an external investigation and a vote recount were completed. [25]
The New Patriotic Party filed a writ with the Supreme Court of Ghana requesting that the results declared by the electoral commission be invalidated. Despite claiming publicly that the election was rigged by the ruling NDC government, their writ in court alleged that there were inconsistencies and irregularities at certain polling stations. Therefore, they wanted the results at those stations to be invalidated. These were in effect polling stations that the NDC won comfortably. Therefore, with figures from those stations (over 11000 of them) invalidated, it would mean that NPP would mathematically be the winners. The Supreme Court of Ghana, headed by Justice Atuguba, gave its final verdict, with the majority opinion stating that even if there were inconsistencies, they were unimportant and could not have altered the election's result. Akufo-Addo conceded defeat after the verdict, on 29 August 2013. [26]
The party have a constitution, registered under law which governs how they operate. The party's constitution was first registered with the Electoral Commission on 24 June 1992. It underwent amendments on 29 August 1998, 22 August 2009, and 17 December 2017. [27]
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) elects national executives for a four-year duration. According to the New Patriotic Party's constitution, Article 10(2) & (3) mandates that the National Annual Delegates shall meet at least four weeks after the last Regional Annual Delegates Conference. [28] [29]
The National Delegates Congress was slated for 12 April 2014 in Tamale Sports Stadium. About 5,265 delegates were expected to partake in the internal elections of the party. [30]
The NPP organised the national delegates congress in Eastern region from 15 June 2018 to 17 June 2018. [28]
The national executives elections for 2022 was held on 17 July at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Founded on 28 July 1992, the party's mission is to unite citizens in the pursuit of freedom, justice, and the protection of human rights through true democracy. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a political party in Ghana that aligns with center-right and liberal conservative ideologies. Their symbol is an African elephant, and their official colors are red, white, and blue. [33]
Election | Candidate | First round | Second round | Result | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
1992 | Albert Adu Boahen | 1,204,764 | 30.3% | — | Lost | |
1996 | John Kufuor | 2,834,878 | 39.7% | — | Lost | |
2000 | 3,131,739 | 48.17% | 3,631,263 | 56.90% | Elected | |
2004 | 4,524,074 | 52.45% | — | Elected | ||
2008 | Nana Akufo-Addo | 4,159,439 | 49.13% | 4,480,446 | 49.77% | Lost |
2012 | 5,248,898 | 47.74% | — | Lost | ||
2016 | 5,755,758 | 53.72% | — | Elected | ||
2020 | 6,730,413 | 51.30% | — | Elected |
Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Position | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 | Boycotted | 0 / 200 | Extra-parliamentary | |||
1996 | 2,346,791 | 33.8% | 61 / 200 | 61 | 2nd | Opposition |
2000 | 2,949,767 | 45.2% | 100 / 200 | 39 | 1st | Majority government |
2004 | 4,268,120 | 48.9% | 128 / 230 | 28 | 1st | Majority government |
2008 | 4,013,013 | 46.9% | 107 / 230 | 21 | 2nd | Opposition |
2012 | 5,248,862 | 47.5% | 122 / 275 | 15 | 2nd | Opposition |
2016 | 4,713,277 | 52.5% | 169 / 275 | 63 | 1st | Majority government |
2020 | 6,651,028 | 50.4% | 137 / 275 | 32 | 1st | NPP–Ind coalition government |
Politics of Ghana takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president of Ghana is both head of state and head of government, and of a two party system. The seat of government is at Golden Jubilee House. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and Parliament. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is a social democratic political party in Ghana, founded by Jerry Rawlings, who was Head of State in Ghana from 1981 to 1993. He became the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001. Following the formation of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which ruled Ghana following the military coup d'état on 31 December 1981, there was pressure from the international community to restore democracy. The NDC was formed as the ruling party ahead of elections in 1992, in which Rawlings was elected president, and in 1996 Rawlings was re-elected as the NDC candidate. Rawlings' second term ended in 2001.
Frederick Worsemao Armah Blay is a Ghanaian lawyer and a politician who served as a member of the Second, Third and Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, representing the Ellembelle Constituency in the Western Region.He was National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a Ghanaian politician who has served as the President of Ghana since 2017. He previously served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2003 and as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2007 under the administration of then-president John Kufuor.
Kwame Addo-Kufuor is a Ghanaian politician and physician. He is the chancellor of Kumasi Technical University. Addo-Kufuor was a member of parliament for Manhyia and from 2001 to 2007, he was the minister for defence under President John Kufuor, his brother. Between June 2008 and 2009, he was the Minister for Interior.
Joseph Henry Mensah was a Ghanaian politician and economist.
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2008. Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, a run-off election was held on 28 December 2008 between the two candidates who received the most votes, Nana Akufo-Addo of the governing New Patriotic Party and John Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress. Mills was certified as the victor by a margin of less than one percent, winning the presidency on his third attempt. It is to date the closest election in Ghanaian history.
Albert Kwadwo Adu Boahen was a Ghanaian academic, historian, and politician. He was an academic at the University of Ghana from 1959 to 1990, from 1971 onwards as a professor. As a politician, he notably was a candidate in the 1992 Ghanaian presidential election, representing the main opposition New Patriotic Party.
Mahamudu Bawumia is a Ghanaian politician and former central banker who serves as the fifth vice president of Ghana in the fourth Ghanaian Republic. He assumed office on 7 January 2017 as vice president of Ghana. He was the New Patriotic Party (NPP) nominee for president in the 2024 general election.
The 2011 New Patriotic Party constituency primaries was a nationwide election organised by the Electoral Commission of Ghana at the request of the New Patriotic Party for the election of candidates that would represent the party in the 2012 parliamentary elections. The New Patriotic Party is the biggest opposition party in the Parliament of Ghana with 107 members of parliament out of 230. Nominations for the primaries opened on 28 February and closed on 6 March 2011. 73 constituencies had their current members of parliament standing unopposed. At such places, the members were elected by acclamation. A total of 516 persons contested the 220 constituency seats.
The 2010 New Patriotic Party presidential primary election was a nationwide election organized by the Electoral Commission of Ghana at the request of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana for the election of a candidate that would represent the party in the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections. It was held on 7 August 2010. The New Patriotic Party is the biggest opposition party in the Parliament of Ghana with 107 members of parliament out of 230.
General elections were held in Ghana on Friday 7 December 2012 to elect a president and members of Parliament in 275 electoral constituencies. Owing to the breakdown of some biometric verification machines, some voters could not vote, and voting was extended to Saturday 8 December 2012. A run-off was scheduled for 28 December 2012 if no presidential candidate received an absolute majority of 50% plus one vote. Competing for presidency were incumbent president John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), his main challenger Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and six other candidates.
Joe Ghartey is a Ghanaian lawyer, politician and member of the New Patriotic Party. He is a former Attorney-General of Ghana (2006–2009), Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament (2013–2017) and Railways Development Minister (2017–2021). Joe Ghartey hails from Shama in the Western Region.
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2016 to elect a President and Members of Parliament. They had originally been scheduled for 7 November 2016, but the date was later rejected by Parliament. Former foreign minister Nana Akufo-Addo of the opposition New Patriotic Party was elected President on his third attempt, defeating incumbent President John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress.
Kwabena Agyei Agyapong is a Ghanaian civil engineer and politician.
Samuel Abu Jinapor, is a Ghanaian lawyer and a politician. He is a member of the New Patriotic Party and the Member of Parliament for the Damongo Constituency. In 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo appointed him as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Office of the President, at the age of 33, the youngest in the history of Ghana to occupy such a position. He is currently the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2020. Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was re-elected in the first round after securing a majority of the votes. Former President John Dramani Mahama announced that he would contest the results. At the Supreme Court, a petition challenging the result was filed on 30 December, and unanimously dismissed on 4 March 2021 for lack of merit.
General elections was held in Ghana on 7 December 2024 to elect the president and members of Parliament. Then-incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, having completed his constitutional term limits, was ineligible for re-election.