Former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has made a political comeback by winning the West African nation’s presidential election on Sunday after his rival Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat.
The results of Ghana’s general election are yet another setback for the ruling party in a region plagued by economic hardship, high inflation and a devaluation of the local currency as voters seek a change in leadership. Mahama, 66, who served as Ghana’s president from 2012 to 2016, portrayed Bawumia as a continuation of policies that plunged Ghana into its worst economic crisis in a generation.
The world’s second-largest cocoa producer and major gold producer last year agreed to a $3 billion bailout with the International Monetary Fund after it paid off most of its international debt.
“This morning after my strong victory in the election on Saturday, I called my brother Dr. I received a congratulatory call from Baumia. Thank you, Ghana,” Mahama said in a post on X social media.
Addressing a press conference from his residence, Bawumia said he called Mahama to congratulate him, adding that Mahama’s National Democratic Congress also won the parliamentary elections. “The data of our own internal consolidation of the election results shows that former president John Dramani Mahama won the presidential election decisively,” Bawumia said, “The NDC also won the parliamentary election.
Bawumia said he accepted before the official results to ease tensions.
Prior to his release, clashes were reported in several local polling stations where results were yet to come in from the polling stations.
“To avoid further tension and to preserve the peace of the country, I am making this concession speech before the Electoral Commission formally announces it,” Bawumia said. “It is important that the global investment community continues to believe in Ghana’s peaceful and democratic character,” he added.
After Bawumia conceded defeat, hundreds of NDC supporters took to the streets of the capital Accra on Sunday to celebrate.
Early results showed Mahama and the NDC party in a commanding lead. In provisional results of 68 of the total 276 constituencies, Bawumia is leading with 45.16 percent of the votes while Mahama is ahead with more than 53 percent of the votes, according to Joy News.
At a press conference on Sunday before Bawumia conceded, NDC National Spokesperson Sammy Gambhi said results provisionally collected by party agents from 38,896 out of a total of 40,976 polling stations showed Mahma leading by about 56%.
He said that the party is on the way to win about 185 seats out of 276 seats in the Parliament.