In humility and political maturity, Ghana’s Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, conceded defeat in the country’s highly anticipated 2024 elections, acknowledging that the people had voted for change. At a press conference, Bawumia congratulated his primary challenger, former President John Mahama, on his victory, stating, “The people have spoken. The people have voted for change, and we respect it humbly.”
The elections, held on December 7, 2024, saw 18.7 million Ghanaians registered to vote across 40,975 polling stations. Despite delays in the official results announcement, international and local observers praised the elections as peaceful, free, and fair. However, the process was not without its challenges, as delays in collating results were caused by tensions between supporters of the two main political parties. The Electoral Commission (EC) had to ask the police to clear the collation centres due to disruptions.
Ghana’s economic woes have been a central issue in this election, with voters expressing frustration over the government’s handling of the country’s worst financial crisis in decades. The cost of essential goods has soared, unemployment among young people has remained high, and the government has struggled with debt repayments, leading to widespread dissatisfaction with the ruling party. Bawumia acknowledged these challenges, stating that his internal tallies showed Mahama had won “decisively,” and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had also secured a victory in the parliamentary election.
The NDC claimed Mahama won 56% of the vote, compared to Bawumia’s 41%. Mahama himself confirmed the congratulatory call from Bawumia, celebrating his “emphatic victory.” Mahama’s victory marks a stunning comeback after he lost the 2020 election, and his return to power is seen as a shift away from the NPP’s eight years of rule. The 65-year-old Mahama, President from 2012 to 2017, has promised to overhaul Ghana’s economy, pledging to turn the country into a “24-hour economy” to boost growth and job creation.
Though the election was mostly peaceful, there were incidents of violence, with two people killed in separate clashes on election day. Furthermore, there were reports of looting in northern towns like Damongo and Tamale, where supporters of both parties clashed, and the EC’s office in Damongo was destroyed in protest of the delays.
The United States Embassy in Accra congratulated Ghana on holding a “successful election,” commending the peaceful nature of the democratic process. As President Nana Akufo-Addo steps down after reaching his two-term limit, Mahama’s victory signals a new chapter in Ghanaian politics, where the NDC and NPP have alternated power since the return of multi-party democracy in 1992.
With the official results yet to be declared, the EC has called for patience, stressing that it has up to 72 days to announce the outcome. For now, Mahama’s supporters are celebrating the prospect of a new era in Ghana’s political landscape, hoping for a better economic future under the leadership of their returning former president.
