The Electoral Commission (EC) has declared Mr John Dramani Mahama as the President-elect of Ghana, having won 56.5 per cent of the total valid votes cast
The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is making a comeback after serving a four-year first term from 2012 to 2016.
Making the declaration in Accra, Mrs Jean Mensah, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and Returning Officer of the presidential election, said Mr Mahama polled 6,328,397 – representing 56.55 per cent of the total valid votes cast in 267 out of 276 constituencies.
His closest contender, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia polled 4, 657, 304 -representing 41.61 per cent of the votes cast in the 267 constituencies.
“We have not been able to receive results from nine constituencies because our offices have been besieged by political party supporters, making it impossible to complete the collation process,” she said.
“If all the votes from those constituencies were added to the candidate who placed second, it would not change the outcome of the election,” the EC Chairperson added.
The commission, she said, would update the records on receipt of the presidential results from those outstanding constituencies.
“We have conducted elections that are fair, free, credible, transparent, peaceful, and that whose outcomes are acceptable by all.
“The testimonies on Election Day also attest to the efficient, robust and resilient processes we put in place,” she said.
Brief Biography
John Dramani Mahama, a politician and author, began his political career as a Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi (1996–2004).
He served as Deputy Communications Minister (1997–1998) and Minister of Communications (1998–2001) under President Jerry Rawlings, and later became the Minority Spokesperson for Communications (2001–2005) and Foreign Affairs (2005–2008).
In 2008, he became Vice President under John Evans Atta Mills, ascending to the presidency in 2012 after the President’s death. He was elected President later that year but lost re-election bid in 2016.
Mahama was born to a political father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, and educated at Achimota School, Ghana Secondary School, and the University of Ghana, where he earned degrees in History and Communication Studies. He also studied Social Psychology in Moscow.
Before politics, Mahama worked at the Japanese Embassy and Plan International. He is the author of My First Coup d’État and other essays, and is married to Lordina Mahama.
In an interview after the declaration, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Director of Elections, NDC, welcomed the results and described the Party’s victory as “very great “.
He thanked members of the Party and their agents for their “vigilance” to ensure that the “will of the people” prevailed.
Mr Evans Nimako, Director of Elections, NPP, for his part, said the Party respected the decisions of Ghanaians as expressed in the election results.
He condemned the attacks on some offices of the EC and appealed to the security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.
