ACCRA, Dec 7 – Ghanaians headed to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president and parliamentary representatives, driven by hopes of addressing the country’s worst economic crisis in a generation.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, completing his second and final term, will step down next month. The presidential race is widely seen as a contest between Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former President John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Polling stations opened at 0700 GMT and will close at 1700 GMT. Preliminary results from parliamentary races are expected late Saturday or Sunday, while the presidential outcome is likely by Tuesday.
Mahama, 66, has centered his campaign on promises to renegotiate a $3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout and address the debt crisis that peaked in 2022. He has accused Bawumia of perpetuating policies that exacerbated the economic downturn.
“I will fight corruption to restore integrity and fairness, two critical ingredients missing from our governance,” Mahama told supporters during his final rally in Accra’s Madina neighborhood.
Bawumia, 61, has pointed to signs of economic recovery, including a 6.9% growth rate in the second quarter of 2024, the fastest in five years. He pledged to simplify the tax system, cut public spending, and reduce the size of government if elected.
“The reason why we are going to win this election is because of the good work that we’ve done as a government,” Bawumia told a crowd at the University of Ghana during his final rally.
Ghana’s cedi has shown signs of recovery, but high inflation and debt sustainability remain pressing concerns for voters. Approximately 18.7 million people are registered to vote out of a population of 34 million.
