John Mahama declared President-elect of Ghana

Former President John Dramani Mahama has been officially declared the winner of the 2024 presidential election, following the polls held on December 7, 2024. The declaration was made by Jean Mensa, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), who confirmed Mahama as the president-elect.

Mahama, representing the National Democratic Congress (NDC), secured a decisive victory, garnering 6,328,397 votes, which represents 56.55% of the total vote. His closest rival, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), received 4,657,304 votes, or 41.61%.

Jean Mensa, who also served as the returning officer for the election, noted that the results were based on the collated returns from 267 constituencies. However, nine constituencies had yet to submit their results due to unresolved issues. Despite this, she assured the public that the outstanding votes, totaling over 400,000, would not alter the outcome of the election.

The final tally of valid votes stood at 11,191,422, with 239,109 ballots rejected. The total votes cast amounted to 11,430,531, from a registered voter base of 18,774,159, giving a voter turnout of 60.9%.

In addition to the presidential election, Ghanaians also elected new Members of Parliament (MPs). While some parliamentary seats remain undecided due to disputes, the NDC has secured enough seats to hold a clear majority in the legislature.

The election process was largely peaceful on the first day but was marred by incidents of violence in certain areas. Reports of attempted rigging and delays in result collation led to clashes, with three fatalities and several injuries. The Ghana Police Service has made 89 arrests related to election-related offenses.

In response to the unrest, Sammy Gyamfi, the NDC’s National Communications Officer, urged supporters to refrain from further violence. Meanwhile, Salam Mohammed Mustapha, the National Youth Organizer of the NPP, condemned the actions of NDC supporters and called on the police to act swiftly to prevent further disturbances.