The electoral commission announced on Friday that Ghana’s Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Dramani Mahama are among the 13 candidates approved for the 2024 presidential election.
Citizens of the West African nation, known for its gold and cocoa production, will vote on December 7 to select a successor to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who will leave office in January after completing his constitutionally allowed eight-year term.
Representing the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, 65-year-old former president John Mahama will compete against 60-year-old economist and ex-central banker Mahamudu Bawumia, the ruling New Patriotic Party’s candidate.
In Ghana’s democratic history, no party has secured more than two consecutive terms in office.
The electoral commission also approved the candidacies of Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, a former trade minister who left the ruling party to run independently, businessman Nana Kwame Bediako, and Nana Akosua Frimpomaa, one of two female candidates in the race.
On Tuesday, the NDC, led by Mahama, organized nationwide protests over alleged irregularities, accusing the electoral commission of illegally transferring voters to different polling stations without informing them.
The electoral commission stated that it would review the party’s petition, which was submitted after the demonstrations, and respond in the coming days.
These allegations have further damaged the reputation of the electoral body, which is already facing low public trust.
According to a July survey by Afrobarometer, public trust in Ghana’s electoral commission has fallen to its lowest level since trust polls began in 1999.
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