Over 17 million Ghanaians will head to the polls today, Monday, December 7, 2020, to decide whether the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be Ghana’s President for another four years or not.
President Akufo-Addo is facing keen competition from the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) Presidential Candidate, John Dramani Mahama who served as Ghana’s President from 2012 to 2016.
Apart from Akufo-Addo and Mahama, there are 10 other candidates in the presidential race.
Today’s voting will also help Ghanaians elect their Members of Parliament.
Voting will take place in 38,622 polling stations in the 275 constituencies across the country as compared to 33,000 polling stations in the 2016 elections.
This is Ghana’s eighth election in the Fourth Republic.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has assured that declaration of results will be done 24 hours after the polls, unlike previous elections where results were announced days after the polls.
Who are the contesting candidates?
Twelve (12) presidential candidates were cleared to contest the general elections.
The twelve include the flagbearer of the NPP – Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Presidential Candidate of the NDC – John Dramani Mahama, Brigitte Akosua Dzogbenuku – flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Hassan Ayariga of the All People’s Congress (APC), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), David Asibi Ayindenaba Apasera of the People’s National Convention (PNC), among others.
Five of the 17 nominees who submitted their nomination forms with the hope of contesting in the polls were disqualified by the EC.
The five included two independent presidential nominees – Kofi Koranteng and Marricke Kofi Gane, and three political party-sponsored nominees; Akwasi Addae Odike of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Kwasi Busumbru of the People’s Action Party (PAP), and Nana Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP).
Kofi Koranteng and Marricke Kofi Gane sued the EC over their disqualification but their cases were dismissed by the court.
What did the polls predict?
Ahead of the election, the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana predicted a 51.7 percent win for the incumbent NPP, whilst the NDC followed with 40.4 percent of the total votes cast.
The candidate of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), Christian Kwabena Andrews, placed third in the survey with 1.4 percent.
Another survey by the Centre for Social Science Research at Kumasi Technical University (KTU) had predicted victory for the governing NPP candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the elections, with 52.3% of votes.
The NDC has rubbished the results of the survey saying they were fabricated whilst the NPP views it as validation of their positive outlook ahead of the polls.
The special voting kicked off with 109,577 persons casting their ballot.
Ghanaians will also elect their Members of Parliament today.
The parties ended their campaigns on Sunday, December 6, 2020 with massive rallies in the capital of Accra
The NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo secured 53.6 percent of the vote in 2016 whilst John Mahama of the NDC, then the incumbent had 44.7 percent of the valid votes cast.
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