2024 Ghanaian General Election

General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2024 to elect the president and all 276 members of Parliament. The incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, having completed his constitutional term limits, was ineligible for re-election.

Former President John Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, won a majority of the votes, securing victory without the need for a runoff. Mahamudu Bawumia, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, conceded defeat the morning after the election. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Mahama’s running mate, made history as the first woman elected Vice President of Ghana.

In the parliamentary elections, the NDC won a landslide victory, winning 183 out of 276 seats, while the NPP secured 88 seats, with independent candidates also winning four seats. The number of women elected to parliament was 40, the same as in the previous election (2020), which means that the percentage of women members of parliament in Ghana remains at 15%, a level lower than the average in the sub-region West Africa (18%), the continental African average (27%) and the global world average (also 27%). Ablekuma North constituency is yet to be declared by the electoral commission.

Electoral system

The President of Ghana is elected using the two-round system while members of Parliament are elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. Both are elected to four-year terms.

Eligible voters must be Ghanaian citizens at least 18 years old, except for those declared insane who are disenfranchised. Parliamentary candidates must be Ghanaian citizens who are at least 21 years old and either residents of a constituency or have lived there for at least five of the ten years prior to the election.

Primary elections

New Patriotic Party

The ruling New Patriotic Party opened its nomination period on 26 May 2023, and closed nominations on 24 June 2023. Candidates were selected at the National Congress held on 4 November 2023. More than five candidates filed to run in the primaries when the party called for a Special Congress on 26 August. Incumbent President Akufo-Addo admonished that members of his cabinet who sought to run for president should step down from their posts to focus on their campaigns, prompting a number of resignations.

Presidential candidates

Nominee
* Mahamudu Bawumia, incumbent Vice President of Ghana
Eliminated in primary
* Francis Addai-Nimoh, former Member of Parliament for Mampong
* Owusu Afriyie Akoto, immediate former Minister for Food and Agriculture
* Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central
* Kwabena Agyapong, former Presidential Press Secretary and General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party
* Boakye Agyarko, immediate former Minister for Energy and Petroleum
* Joe Ghartey, former Attorney General and Minister for Railways Development
* Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister for Regional Cooperation
* Alan Kyeremanten, immediate former Minister for Trade and Industry
*Kwadwo Poku, businessman

Results

To reduce the number of candidates, the NPP held a Special Super Delegates Congress on 26 August 2023, which would select the top five candidates who would then go on to contest in the final primaries in November. Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia placed first, with 68% of the votes. To the surprise of many observers, "maverick" MP Kennedy Agyapong, running a campaign largely critical of the Akufo-Addo administration, placed second, edging out NPP veteran Alan John Kyeremanten, who first ran for President in 2008. Owusu Afriyie Akoto placed fourth, while Francis Addai-Nimoh and Boakye Agyarko tied for fifth place, necessitating a run-off, which Addai-Nimoh won, rounding out the five final candidates for the primaries. However, Kyeremanten announced that he would withdraw from the primaries (later leaving the NPP entirely and launching his own third-party campaign), leaving four candidates.

The NPP held its primaries on 4 November 2023. Bawumia again won by a wide margin, confirming him as the NPP's nominee for the 2024 elections, although Kennedy Agyapong's performance was also impressive as he secured a stronger second-place finish compared to his showing at the Super Delegates' Congress.

Parliamentary candidates

National Democratic Congress

The opposition National Democratic Congress opened its nomination period on 22 February 2023 and closed nominations on 22 March 2023. Candidates were required to pay a GH₵500,000 filing fee and a GH₵30,000 nomination fee, women and persons living with disabilities were eligible for a 50% discount. The NDC selected its candidate on 13 May 2023.

Presidential candidates

Nominee
*John Mahama, former President of Ghana (2012–2017)
Eliminated in primary
* Kojo Bonsu, former mayor of Kumasi
* Kwabena Duffuor, former governor of the Bank of Ghana and Minister for Finance and Economic Planning
*Ernest Kobeah, businessman

Results

The NDC primary was held on 13 May 2023. Kobeah dropped out on 29 March and Duffuor dropped out the day before the election, claiming irregularities in the organization of the polls, leaving two candidates. Former President Mahama won nomination in an overwhelming landslide, winning nearly 99% of the vote, setting the stage for the fourth consecutive election in which he would be the NDC's flag-bearer. Bonsu called Mahama to concede and offer his support.

In June 2024, the NDC accused the electoral commission of colluding with the ruling NPP to rig the elections via an illegal voter transfer scheme, which the NDC claimed was orchestrated by Yohane Amarh Ashitey, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate and the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive.

Parliamentary candidates

Other parties

Movement For Change

On 25 September 2023, Alan John Kyeremanten formed the Movement For Change party to aspire for the 2024 Ghanaian general election as an independent presidential candidate for the presidential race after resigning from New Patriotic Party (NPP). Therefore he will be a presidential candidate for the 2024 Ghanaian general election.

The New Force

On 7 January 2024, real estate developer Nana Kwame Bediako announced that he would run as the candidate for the New Force movement. This followed weeks of speculation during which the New Force teased its fielding of a "masked" candidate, who was widely expected to be Cheddar. The announcement, which was due to take place at Black Star Square, was postponed after the presidential administration pulled the permit for the rally, citing "an unforeseen state event".

Ghana Freedom Party

Akua Donkor's Ghana Freedom Party, having been disqualified in the 2012 Ghanaian general election and 2016 Ghanaian general election and contesting in the 2020 Ghanaian general election submitted their form on 12 September to officially contest in the 2024 election. However, on 28 September, it was announced that the party's founder and flag bearer had passed on, leaving a controversial void as to the way forward with the Electoral Commission of Ghana halting ballot printing.

On 4 November, the party's leadership announced the nomination of Kwabena Agyeman Appiah Kubi popularly known as ''Roman Fada'' as its new presidential candidate. The party will not contest in the election due to the disqualification of Philip Appiah Kubi who was nominated as replacement for Akua Donkor after her death.

Opinion polls

Filing of nomination papers

Thirty-nine candidates from 12 political parties and 27 independent candidates indicated their intention to contest the 2024 presidential election. They collected nomination forms from the Electoral Commission. The filing of nomination papers started on 9 September 2024. At the close of nominations on 13 September 2024, 24 of the candidates had successfully filed their nomination papers with the Commission. Twelve candidates submitted forms as representatives of political parties and the other 12 were independent candidates. Two candidates submitted their forms after the 13 September deadline. The Electoral Commission received the forms but is yet to announce the fate of the two candidates.

– Disqualified by the Electoral Commission of Ghana

Final list of presidential candidates

On 20 September 2024, the Electoral Commission released the final list of candidates who would be on the ballot for the presidential election. Thirteen of the 24 applicants made the final list while 11 were disqualified. The disqualifications were based on the candidates not having fulfilled all the requirements or discrepancies noticed on their forms. Nine of the 12 candidates of political parties and four of the 12 independent candidates made the final list. Candidates of the People's National Convention (PNC), Progressive Alliance for Ghana (PAG) and the Progressive People's Party (PPP) were not listed. The order of candidates on the ballot paper was determined by a ballot conducted by the Electoral Commission on 20 September 2024.

On 28 October 2024, Akua Donkor, the presidential candidate for the Ghana Freedom Party, died after a sudden illness. The GFP was given ten days to nominate a replacement for Akua Donkor. They submitted forms for Philip Appiah-Kubi who was her running mate. The Electoral Commission found that the forms submitted had irregularities and as the GFP could not correct them promptly, they were disqualified from presenting a candidate for the Presidential election. The Commission however went ahead with printing the ballot papers citing inadequate time and to reduce costs if they had to start all over again.

* Ballot paper position and numbers for the presidential elections will remain unchanged despite the death of Akua Donkor and subsequent disqualification of Philip Appiah Kubi.

Election observers

* Commonwealth election observers
* ECOWAS
* African Union
* Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO)

Results

Turnout was relatively low at 60.9% (approximately 18.8 million votes), a sharp drop from the 79% turnout in the 2020 election. The National Democratic Congress saw a significant victory, winning both the office of President and a majority of parliamentary seats, ending eight years of power for the NPP.

In nine constituencies, political party supporters showed up en masse to collation centers and caused damage to election materials, delaying presidential and parliamentary results from those locations. Margins in the presidential race were large enough for an official winner to be declared prior to reporting from these constituencies.

President

Former president John Mahama (NDC) won with 57% of the vote. Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat on 8 December, congratulating Mahama on his victory. The results were officially certified on 9 December.

Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, became the nation's first female vice president when she was sworn in with Mahama on 7 January 2025.

By region

Parliament

A total of 801 people contested for the 276 seats in parliament. Preliminary results show that the National Democratic Congress won a two-thirds majority of the nation's 276 parliamentary seats. Parliamentary control before the election was with the New Patriotic Party, with 137 seats held by each of the two largest parties and one independent caucusing with the NPP. On 13 December, the Deputy Chairperson of the Electoral Commission announced that the results of 12 constituencies needed re-collation but only three had been completed and these were results for Suhum, Akwatia and Fanteakwa North. The results for Ablekuma North, Dome-Kwabenya, Okaikwei Central, Tema Central, all in the Greater Accra region were yet to be collated. In the Ashanti Region, results were still pending for Ahafo Ano North, Ahafo Ano South West, Obuasi East. In the Bono East Region results were still pending for Techiman South. Nsawam-Adoagyiri, a ninth constituency in the Eastern Region is also pending.

By constituencies

The result for Ablekuma North in the Greater Accra Region is still pending as the collation of the results could not be completed before the inauguration of the 9th Parliament.

References

{{Ghanaian elections

Presidential elections in Ghana
Parliamentary elections in Ghana
Ghanaian general election
General election
Ghanaian general election