Ghana elections 2024: 18.7 million voters choose president, members of parliament

Millions of Ghanaian voters will head to the polls today to elect a new President and 276 Members of Parliament.

The polls will be held across more than 40,000 polling stations, from 0700 to 1700 hours.

With 18,774,159 valid voters registered, the presidential candidates include Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Analysts predict a tight race between the two political heavyweights, with Mahama seeking redemption after losing the presidency in 2016 and 2020.

Two new political movements—The New Force led by Businessman Nana Kwame Bediako and The Movement for Change led by Alan Kyerematen, a former minister of Trade and Industry—are hoping to challenge the two-party system.

Other contenders include Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr. (Great Consolidated Popular Party), George Twum-Barima-Adu (Independent), Hassan Abdulai Ayariga (All People’s Congress), Kofi Akpaloo (Liberal Party of Ghana), Mohammed Frimpong (National Democratic Party), Nana Akosua Frimpomaa (Convention People’s Party), and Kofi Koranteng (Independent).

To win the presidency, a candidate needs at least 50 per cent plus one of the total valid votes casts.

In the parliamentary race, a simple majority will determine the winner.

All election materials deployed

The Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC), Mrs. Jean Mensa, confirmed on Thursday that all election materials had been successfully distributed to the 16 regions in sufficient quantities.

By Friday evening, most constituencies had reported receiving their election materials.

The National Elections Security Taskforce has also stationed security personnel at all polling stations across the country, with at least one officer assigned to each polling station to maintain law and order during the voting process.

Declaration of Results

After the polls close at 1700 hours, election materials for both the presidential and parliamentary races will be sorted and counted in the open at each polling station.

The results will be recorded separately on the Statement of Results sheet for both races.

Ghana’s 276 constituencies will each have a dedicated collation center where results from all polling stations within the constituency will be compiled.

The parliamentary winner for each constituency will be declared at these collation centers.

When will the presidential winner be declared?

The Electoral Commission has not provided an exact timeline for the declaration of the presidential results.

However, based on previous elections, it is typically expected to take between two to three days after polling day for the winner to be announced.

The new president will be inaugurated on January 7, 2025.

Source: GNA

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