Media reports monitored by Fedredsnews indicate that Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo has won re-election with 51.59% of the vote, beating his old rival, John Mahama, according to the results released by the country’s electoral body on Wednesday.
The results follow a contentious poll that both candidates had said they were leading based on their camps’ tallies. Five people were killed in election violence since Monday, the police said, marring what observers said was a well-organised vote.
According to the chairperson of Electoral Commission of Ghana, Jean Adukwei Mensa, Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party received 6,730,413 or 51.59 per cent of total votes while Mahama of the National Democratic Congress received 6,214,889 or 47.36 per cent of total votes.
“On the basis of the foregoing election results and by the powers vested in me as the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the interim officer of the election, it is my duty and honour to declare Nana Akufo-Addo as president-elect of the Republic of Ghana,” Mensa said.
Akufo Addo has promised to implement a $17 billion programme to boost Ghana’s economy after the coronavirus pandemic hit the price of key oil and cocoa exports, resulting in the first quarterly contraction in nearly 40 years.
He will be under pressure to rein in government spending that has pushed the debt-to-GDP ratio past 70% and prompted warnings from the International Monetary Fund.
