Africa

Ghana’s president re-elected as opposition says it will contest results

Tightly contested election will test west African nation’s reputation for stability

Ghanaians celebrate in the capital, Accra, after president Nana Akufo-Addo wins a second term, beating long-time opponent John Mahama by a narrow margin. Photograph: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images

Thu Dec 10 2020 - 18:01

Ghana’s main opposition party, whose candidate finished second in a tightly contested presidential election, has said it will contest the results announced by the country’s electoral commission.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was re-elected for a second term after Monday’s presidential and legislative elections.

The election has tested the west African nation’s credentials as one of the continent’s most politically stable countries.

Mr Akufo-Addo, of the governing New Patriotic Party, won Monday's election outright with 51.3 per cent of the votes, beating former president John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who received 47.3 per cent, the commission said.

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Commission chairwoman Jean Mensa amended the figures early on Thursday, changing the percentage only slightly, but still giving Mr Akufo-Addo the outright win.

A leading member of the NDC party, Haruna Iddrisu, called the results flawed.

“We have done extensive consultation of the outcome of the election and come to the conclusion that it is flawed and discredited and therefore reject it,” he said after results were announced.

‘Bad faith’

Mr Iddrisu accused the head of the electoral commission (EC) of acting in “bad faith” because she ignored a petition by Mr Mahama asking her to address some of his concerns and went on to announce the “discredited” outcome.

“The conduct of the EC chairperson and other available information makes it impossible for us to accept the results of the election,” he said.

Mr Mahama has not yet conceded.

More than 13 million people voted at more than 38,600 polling stations, making the turnout about 79 per cent, said the commission.

Speaking after the declaration, Mr Akufo-Addo said he was grateful to Ghanaians for the victory and was at the same time “humbled by the confidence” he earned with their votes.

He promised to work hard to build a prosperous Ghana, adding that this can be achieved only if "we all unite to join hands and stand shoulder to shoulder to put Ghana where it should be".

Priorities

The president said his priorities are to reverse the effects of Covid-19 and then rebuild the economy.

Most of the 10 other candidates in the election congratulated Mr Akufo-Addo. This was the third time Mr Akufo-Addo and Mr Mahama faced off. Mr Mahama won the 2012 elections, but lost in 2016 to Mr Akufo-Addo.

Legislative results from Monday’s election have not yet been announced.

The streets of Accra, the capital, were filled with celebrations after the announcement.

Earlier on Wednesday police said at least five people had been killed and at least a dozen injured in violence related to the presidential and legislative elections. Twenty-one violent outbreaks have been identified as election-related across the country, Ghana’s Police Service said on Wednesday. It urged calm. – AP

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