Ghana Election: Former President Mahama Wins Re-election on Third Attempt

Former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election in Ghana election 2024, after his main opponent, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat.

Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has conceded defeat a day after a tense presidential election, marking a historic political comeback for the opposition candidate, former leader John Mahama.

Bawumia said in his concession speech on Sunday morning that internally collated results showed that “Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” ahead of a formal announcement by the electoral commission.

VP Bawumia said the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party had also won the parliamentary election. He stated that he made the concession “to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country.”

“I have since called H.E. John Dramani Mahama to congratulate him as President-elect of the Republic of Ghana,” Bawumia said, adding that “the people have voted for change at this time, and we respect that decision with all humility.”

Ghana Election 2024

Opinion polls had predicted a first-round victory for Mahama in Ghana election amid widespread discontent over the country’s economy and a crisis over illegal gold mining.

Ghanaians have been railing against environmental degradation caused by unlicensed small-scale mining, a longstanding issue that has left large swathes of land pockmarked by pits and major rivers polluted.

The defeat in Saturday’s election ends two terms in power for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo, marked by Ghana’s worst economic crisis in years, involving high inflation and a debt default.

The vice president said Mahama won the presidency “decisively.” The NDC won the parliamentary election, according to the NPP’s internal tally of votes.

Mahama, who was president of Ghana between July 2012 and January 2017, confirmed on X he had received Bawumia’s congratulatory call over his “emphatic victory.”

In a concession speech delivered on Sunday, Mr. Bawumia, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), stated that internal data from his party indicates that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has secured victory in both the presidential and parliamentary polls.

“Let me say that the data from our own internal collation of the election results indicate that former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Bawumia said.

“The NDC has also won the parliamentary election. Even though we await the final collation of a number of seats, I believe ultimately these will not change the outcome.

“I am making this concession speech before the official announcement by the electoral commission to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country.

“It is important that the world investor community continues to believe in the peaceful and democratic character of Ghana.”

Ghana is also grappling with its worst economic situation in decades as it reels from high inflation, youth unemployment, and a steep increase in the cost of living.

Bawumia, 61, a UK-trained economist who chaired the nation’s economic management team, faced criticism ahead of the elections over his handling of the struggling economy. On the campaign trail, Mahama also criticized him for saying little about the economy.

Mahama, 66, described the election as a “defining moment” for Ghana and vowed to “reset” the nation on a path “for positive governance and accountability.”

He said on Sunday that he had received a “congratulatory call” from Bawumia, following his “emphatic victory.”

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