| ||||||||||||||||||||
Presidential election | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
All 275 seats in Parliament 138 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Maps | ||||||||||||||||||||
Constitution |
---|
Africaportal Politicsportal |
General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2016 to elect a President and Members of Parliament. [1] They had originally been scheduled for 7 November 2016, [2] but the date was later rejected by Parliament. [1] 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.
The election results were announced on 9 December 2016 due to a delay of voting in two areas. At 19:51 local time, Mahama called Akufo-Addo to concede defeat. At 20:45, the Electoral Commission declared that Akufo-Addo had defeated Mahama in a single round. It was the first time in Ghana's history that a sitting president had been defeated for reelection.
The president is elected using the two-round system, whilst the 275 members of Parliament are elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting.
Eligible voters must be Ghanaian citizens aged 18 or over, although those declared insane are disenfranchised. Parliamentary candidates must be Ghanaian citizens at least 21 years old, and either be resident in their constituency or have lived there for at least five of the ten years prior to the election. [3]
Over 16 people filed with the election commission to run for president. However, 13 presidential candidates were disqualified due to incorrect filing procedures. The disqualified candidates included former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the president of the National Democratic Party. [4] There was some controversy due to allegations that the candidates were disqualified for political reasons. The Electoral Commission denied all accusations. After the disqualification, only four presidential candidates remained. However, the presidential candidate of the Progressive People's Party (PPP) Paa Kwesi Nduom took the EC to court over his disqualification. The court finally ruled in his favour, allowing him to join the race. [5] Two other candidates who were disqualified also followed suit, leading to there being seven candidates.
Ivor Greenstreet from the Convention People's Party was the first physically challenged candidate to contest a presidential election. [6]
Incumbent John Mahama was eligible for a second full term since he had ascended to the presidency with only six months remaining in the term of his predecessor and running mate, John Atta Mills. In Ghana, when a vice-president ascends to the presidency with more than half of a presidential term remaining, he is only allowed to run for a single full term in his own right. If more than half of the term has expired, the vice-president is eligible for two full terms. [14]
A total of 1,144 candidates contested the 275 seats in Parliament. The NDC and NPP both ran full slates of 275 candidates, whilst the CPP (222 candidates) and PPP (163) were the only two other parties to run in over half the seats. The PNC nominated 64 candidates, the NDP 33, the APC 20, the GCPP 10, the UFP six and the DPP and UPP both had only one candidate. The other 74 candidates were independents. [15]
Poll source | Date | Sample size | Undecided | Mahama NDC | Akufo-Addo NPP | Nduom PPP | Greenstreet CPP | Other candidates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Restart International | 5 December 2016 | 2,000 | 54.7% | 43.7% | |||||
Ben Ephson | 28 November 2016 | N/A | 52.4% | 45.9% | 1.7% | 2% margin of error | |||
Ben Ephson | October 2016 | N/A | 50.8% | 47.5% | 1.7% | 2% margin of error | |||
Goodman AMC | August 2016 | 2,184 | N/A | 48% | 45% | 7% | 0% | 2.1% margin of error | |
Goodman AMC | June 2016 | 1,644 | N/A | 44% | 49% | 6% | 1% | 2.3% margin of error | |
Goodman AMC | April 2016 | 1,216 | N/A | 32% | 65% | 3% | 0% |
Candidate | Running mate | Party | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nana Akufo-Addo | Mahamudu Bawumia | New Patriotic Party | 5,755,758 | 53.72 | |
John Dramani Mahama | Kwesi Amissah-Arthur | National Democratic Congress | 4,771,188 | 44.53 | |
Paa Kwesi Nduom | Brigitte Dzogbenuku | Progressive People's Party | 106,092 | 0.99 | |
Ivor Greenstreet | Gabby Nsiah Nketiah | Convention People's Party | 25,552 | 0.24 | |
Edward Mahama | Emmanuel Anyidoho | People's National Convention | 22,214 | 0.21 | |
Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings | Kojo Mensah Sosu | National Democratic Party | 16,935 | 0.16 | |
Jacob Osei Yeboah | Daniel Wilson Torto | Independent | 15,911 | 0.15 | |
Total | 10,713,650 | 100.00 | |||
Valid votes | 10,713,650 | 98.46 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 167,349 | 1.54 | |||
Total votes | 10,880,999 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 15,712,499 | 69.25 | |||
Source: Electoral Commission Ghana |
Region | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Nana Akufo-Addo NPP | John Dramani Mahama NDC | |||
Votes | % | Votes | % | |
Ashanti | 1,640,694 | 75.98 | 503,497 | 23.32 |
Brong-Ahafo | 531,147 | 53.87 | 422,789 | 44.91 |
Central | 496,668 | 53.22 | 405,262 | 43.43 |
Eastern | 674,240 | 63.30 | 379,675 | 35.65 |
Greater Accra | 1,062,157 | 52.42 | 946,048 | 46.69 |
Northern | 429,375 | 41.89 | 569,853 | 55.59 |
Upper East | 157,398 | 34.93 | 271,796 | 60.32 |
Upper West | 102,843 | 35.94 | 167,032 | 58.37 |
Volta | 135,077 | 17.38 | 629,398 | 80.97 |
Western | 526,159 | 52.38 | 455,838 | 45.38 |
Source: Electoral Commission Ghana |
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Patriotic Party | 5,661,248 | 52.48 | 169 | +47 | |
National Democratic Congress | 4,560,491 | 42.28 | 106 | –42 | |
Progressive People's Party | 186,741 | 1.73 | 0 | 0 | |
Convention People's Party | 69,346 | 0.64 | 0 | –1 | |
People's National Convention | 42,236 | 0.39 | 0 | –1 | |
National Democratic Party | 19,450 | 0.18 | 0 | 0 | |
All People's Congress | 2,527 | 0.02 | 0 | New | |
Great Consolidated Popular Party | 1,368 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
United Front Party | 896 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
Democratic People's Party | 867 | 0.01 | 0 | 0 | |
United Progressive Party | 430 | 0.00 | 0 | New | |
Independents | 241,884 | 2.24 | 0 | –3 | |
Total | 10,787,484 | 100.00 | 275 | 0 | |
Valid votes | 10,787,484 | 98.98 | |||
Invalid/blank votes | 111,137 | 1.02 | |||
Total votes | 10,898,621 | 100.00 | |||
Registered voters/turnout | 15,639,690 | 69.69 | |||
Source: Election Passport |
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.
John Dramani Mahama is a Ghanaian politician who served as President of Ghana from 24 July 2012 to 7 January 2017. He previously served as Vice President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012, and took office as president on 24 July 2012 following the death of his predecessor John Evans Fiifi Attah Mills. Mahama is a communication expert, historian, and writer. A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he was Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi from 1997 to 2009 and served as Deputy Minister for Communication between 1997 and 1998 before becoming the substantive Minister for Communications in 1998. Dramani is the first vice president to take over the presidency from the death of his predecessor, John Evans Atta Mills, and is the first head of state of Ghana to have been born after Ghana's independence. He was elected after December 2012 election to serve as full-time President. He contested re-election for a second term in the 2016 election, but lost to the New Patriotic Party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, in 2012. This made him the first President in the history of Ghana to not have won a second term.
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 Kufuor-led administration.
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.
Paa Kwesi Nduom or Papa Kwesi Nduom, is a Ghanaian business consultant, politician, and founding member of Ghana's Progressive People's Party. A three-time nominee for president, he was the member of parliament for the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem constituency and served as minister of state in the Kufuor government.
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.
Akwasi Addai Odike is a Ghanaian businessman and politician.
Ivor Kobina Greenstreet (born 31 May 1966) is a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was the Presidential candidate for the Convention People's Party (CPP) in the 2020 Ghanaian general election.
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is a Ghanaian politician and businessman who represents Assin Central in parliament for the New Patriotic Party. He was first elected a member of parliament in 2000 to the seat of Assin North. He retained his seat in the 2004 and 2008 parliamentary elections. In 2012 he was elected in the new seat of Assin Central and was re-elected in 2016. He also retained his seat in the 2020 general elections. He is currently the Chairman of the Parliament's Defense and Interior Committee.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took office as Ghana's president on 7 January 2017 after winning the December 2016 presidential elections. A number of controversies have arisen under his administration.
Dominic Aduna Bingab Nitiwul is a Ghanaian politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bimbilla constituency in the Northern Region of Ghana. He has also served in the Pan-African Parliament. Since February 2017, Nitiwul has held the office of Minister of Defence of Ghana.
Rashid Bawa is a Ghanaian politician, diplomat and a member of the New Patriotic Party of Ghana. He is currently Ghana's ambassador to Nigeria.
The Ghana Freedom Party is a party founded by Akua Donkor, a farmer. This was largely to help her ambitions to become President of Ghana.
The All People's Congress is a political party in Ghana formed by a break away from the People's National Convention (PNC).
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 says he will contest the results.
David Asibi Ayindenaba Apasera is a Ghanaian politician. He was the presidential candidate for the People's National Convention (PNC) in the 2020 Ghanaian general election. He was member of parliament for Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region of Ghana between 2001 and 2009.
Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker is an independent presidential candidate in Ghana.
The presidency of John Mahama began on 24 July 2012 and ended on 7 January 2017. John became the 11th President of Ghana after he succeeded John Atta Mills who died in office on 24 July 2012. Prior to that, he served as Vice-President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 2012.
Agyeman Badu Akosa is a Ghanaian pathologist, academic, politician and social commentator. He served as the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service from 2002 to 2006. He is a member of the Convention People's Party and is a well-known strong Nkrumaist who believes in the ideals of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah its founder. He contested for the Party's presidential candidate ahead the 2008 General elections and lost to Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum. He is a professor of Pathology. He is an advocate on lifestyle issues.