West Africa: What Ghana’s Presidential Election Methodology for the Nation and West Africa

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Former Ghana President John Mahama will return to vitality after a decisive electoral victory.
• He faces a dire economic disaster and rising distrust in the political blueprint, especially amongst kids.
• As a sturdy democracy in West Africa, Ghana’s future can delight in a predominant impact on the space.

With novel President Nana Akufo-Addo unable to trail again below the structure’s two-term limit, Ghana’s 2024 presidential election marked the live of an technology — and a predominant shift in the national political landscape.

In the first spherical of vote casting on December 7, former President John Mahama received a majority with 56.6 percent, thereby securing the presidency without the need for a runoff. In doing so, he decisively defeated incumbent Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, ending the ruling Aloof Patriotic Social gathering’s (NPP) eight-year grip on vitality.

Meanwhile, Mahama’s rep together, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), secured a landslide victory in Ghana’s concurrent parliamentary elections, giving Mahama a transparent electoral mandate to pursue his heroic agenda. How he handles the nation’s urgent economic factors, the fallout from conditions of put up-election violence, and Ghanaians’ rising discontent with the political blueprint will no longer handiest shape Ghana’s possess future nevertheless will impact its standing as a key regional leader and beacon of democracy in West Africa.

Financial Woes, Voter Apathy and Unmet Guarantees

This election turned into once heavily formed by Ghana’s ongoing economic disaster, which has been described as the worst in a technology. Government debt — which began to upward thrust in 2008 after the live of a debt reduction program — skyrocketed to seventy 9.2 percent of GDP by 2021. This fueled rising prices, with inflation surging from 31.5 percent in 2022 to 40.3 percent in 2023, further deepening the economic hardship felt by unparalleled Ghanaians.

The scenario for early life is terribly dire, as handiest about ten percent of faculty students or graduates fetch jobs within a year of winding up their be taught. The excessive payment of early life unemployment turned into once made worse by the dearth of employment opportunities in key sectors like manufacturing and agriculture, which had been stagnant on account of a lack of infrastructure funding. Many kids are compelled to emigrate or turn to the informal sector, again and again in unstable low-wage employment jobs. Furthermore, the nation’s debt disaster has also led to a decline in public sector funding, lowering the availability of government jobs that had been once a right choice for employment for graduates.

This economic stress transcends mere statistics and is felt in the on a typical foundation lives of hundreds of thousands. The continual challenges of monetary instability, coupled with uncertainty of the future, delight in eroded belief in the nation’s leadership.

This election served as a referendum on the set aside quo’s capacity to produce any reduction or whether change is serious to handle the escalating disaster. Without predominant reforms, a trajectory in the direction of economic restoration looks hazardous, leaving Ghana’s citizens anxious about whether their incoming government will ship any predominant reduction from the excessive economic cases.

So naturally, the economy turned into once top of mind for the over 18 million registered voters in Ghana, extra than half of whom had been kids between ages 18 and 35. Then again, no subject the election’s excessive stakes, voter turnout plummeted, with projections estimating that handiest spherical 60.9 percent of voters grew to become out to the polls in step with Ghana’s electoral commission chair. That is a involving decline from the seventy 9 percent in 2020 and 69 percent in 2016, reflecting a rising sense of voter apathy fueled by deep dissatisfaction with the political blueprint and its leaders.

Except for the declining turnout, there turned into once another noticeable shift in the political landscape, with 10 self reliant candidates contesting for the Ghana presidency. This surge in self reliant candidacies highlights a rising need amongst voters for choices beyond the two worn political parties. Many of these self reliant candidates’ aim turned into once to present unique views and alternatives, free from the constraints of rep together ideology. Then again, no subject this apparent appetite for change, the entrenched dominance of the two necessary parties has created predominant boundaries for self reliant candidates, making it demanding for them to garner sufficient give a rob to or assign traction with voters.

Decrease voter turnout in the 2024 election is upright as indicative of the national mood as the outcome.

It will be primary that many in Ghana delight in grew to become to other avenues to demand better governance in novel years. In 2021, thousands of younger Ghanaians mobilized below the nonpolitical civic movement “#FixTheCountry,” protesting President Nana Akufo-Addo’s handling of the economy and governance. Meanwhile, illegal mining, identified as “galamsey,” continues to ravage the nation, contaminating rivers with toxic chemicals and threatening public smartly being and Ghana’s agricultural future. Despite President Akufo-Addo 2017 pledge to total galamsey, government efforts delight in confirmed inadequate. In this context, lower voter turnout in the 2024 election is upright as indicative of the national mood as the outcome, reflecting rising discontent amongst Ghanaians over the lack of progress.

Therefore, no subject Mahama’s rep together’s overwhelming legislative victory and a transparent mandate, voters seem to delight in excessive expectations and desire instantaneous, decisive motion to rep to the bottom of prolonged-standing factors. Ghana’s hard-received democratic stability will be in jeopardy if Mahama’s administration is unable to meet citizens calls for political reform, security and economic pattern. Ghana is at a predominant juncture where voter apathy or continued unrest may per chance undermine its democratic institutions and its popularity as a democratic leader in the space for the first time in years.

The Aloof Government’s Response to Rising Dangers

Provided that former President Mahama has held set aside of work before, his foremost aim in operating this time spherical turned into once to handle the challenges and shortcomings that marked his earlier tenure, particularly with smartly-liked vitality outages.

With notion polls exhibiting that the economy and jobs had been the top concerns, his advertising campaign spicy on job creation, economic restoration and debt reduction. For the length of the advertising campaign, former President Mahama promised “a brand unique beginning, a brand unique route” for Ghana. This name for change proved smartly appreciated by voters: Mahama’s victory — with 56.6 percent of the vote compared with Vice President Bawumia’s 41.6 percent — represents the largest margin in 24 years. Then again, the outcome does proceed the historic pattern where vitality alternates between Mahama’s NDC and the NPP, with out a rep together ever holding the presidency for extra than two consecutive phrases.

Now president-elect, Mahama will search for to plot magnificent on his pledge to introduce a “24-hour economy.” This signature advertising campaign policy goals to revitalize key sectors of the Ghanaian economy, together with infrastructure and technology, by encouraging them to feature spherical the clock, ideally using a three-shift blueprint. This right operation is supposed to expand productivity, increase competitiveness and generate excessive-paying, prolonged-term jobs.

Mahama’s imaginative and prescient for the 24-hour economy relies on atmosphere up sustainable employment for Ghanaians as a formula to ameliorate the stress that rising inflation and unemployment delight in set aside on the nation. Provided that early life unemployment is spherical 14.7 percent, and many Ghanaians face a excessive worth of living, the public is extra and extra spicy on policies that could form jobs, expand earnings ranges and stimulate growth.

Ghana’s First Girl Vice President

In another great pattern, Ghana made historic previous by electing academic Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as the nation’s first girl vp. Opoku-Agyemang’s election is no longer handiest a groundbreaking fulfillment for Ghana, nevertheless also a extremely effective image of progress for Africa, as it paves the method for better female representation in political leadership across the continent.

With her smartly-known occupation in education and public service, Opoku-Agyemang is positioned to lead initiatives spicy on education reform, gender equality and early life empowerment. Voters hope her ride in these areas can ship unique, innovative approaches to national policies.

Publish-Electoral Violence

Whereas the advertising campaign and election itself had been largely mute, signifying the nation’s democratic maturity, the aftermath turned into once marred by pockets of violence that raised serious concerns about the security of the electoral process.

Delays in announcing the final outcome sparked unrest across the nation, with violence erupting in multiple regions. A lot of capturing incidents resulted in at the least four deaths and loads of injuries, particularly in the path of demanding moments surrounding the collation of outcomes.

In the northern town of Damongo, the electoral commission’s set aside of work turned into once reportedly destroyed by NDC supporters who had been pissed off by the delays. And once outcomes had been launched, supporters of the newly elected president allegedly attacked issue institutions, looted properties and clashed with security forces, leaving police and army personnel injured.

Then again, the candidates themselves had been instant to condemn the violence. Vice President Bawumia expressed sturdy declare and urged former President Mahama to name on his supporters to revive expose and handle the scenario effectively. In response, President-elect John Mahama known as on the novel government and security forces to rob swift motion to total the ongoing put up-election violence and the unlawful takeover of issue institutions, pointing out: “Because state power is still in the hands of the current administration, I call on the president and security agencies to act decisively to curb the ongoing acts of lawlessness immediately.” He also urged kids no longer to right their frustration through criminal actions, emphasizing the need for mute and trusty conduct for the put up-election transition.

Up to now, Ghanaian police delight in arrested over 100 contributors for acts of lawlessness. This outbreak of violence threatens to undermine the credibility of an otherwise mute election process and disrupt the transition, highlighting the need for better stability and belief in the electoral blueprint transferring forward.

What This Methodology for West Africa

Ghana has prolonged been a model for mute elections and democratic progress, nevertheless regional observers are keenly watching how Mahama and the novel government acknowledge to unrest in the path of both the transition of vitality and beyond. Failure to verify security and uphold the rule of legislation may per chance undermine the nation’s image and weaken its regional affect across West Africa.

And given the instability that has wracked West Africa in novel years — from the spread of violent armed groups to the alarming resolution of coups in many neighboring countries — Ghana’s image as a bulwark of democracy is no longer upright a subject of public relatives. Ghana’s capacity to live resilient and democratic can lend a hand as a roadmap for other worldwide locations having a search for to stave off the worst of the space’s challenges without succumbing to the authoritarian and destabilizing trends of West Africa’s army juntas.

A a hit transition, adopted by instantaneous motion to handle citizens’ rising discontent, may per chance also enable Ghana to even strengthen its regional standing by taking an organization stance in upholding peace and democratic values.

Rachel Joy Yeboah Boakye is a be taught analyst in the Africa Center at USIP. Afiwa Missoh is a senior program assistant for USIP’s West Africa program.