General elections will be held in Ghana on 7 December 2024 to elect the president and members of Parliament.[1][2] Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo is term-limited and thus ineligible to run again.
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Electoral system
The President of Ghana is elected using the two-round system, whilst the 275 members of Parliament are elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting.[3][4]
Eligible voters must be Ghanaian citizens who are at least 18 years old, although those declared insane are disenfranchised. Parliamentary candidates must be Ghanaian citizens at least 21 years old, and either be resident in their constituency or have lived there for at least five of the ten years prior to the election.[5]
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. It selected its candidate at its National Congress on 4 November 2023.[6] In the event more than five candidates filed to run in the primaries, the party would have called call a Special Congress on 26 August. Incumbent President Akufo-Addo said 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.[7][8]
Presidential candidates
Nominee
- Mahamudu Bawumia, incumbent Vice-President of Ghana[9][10]
Eliminated in primary
- Francis Addai-Nimoh, former Member of Parliament for Mampong
- Owusu Afriyie Akoto, immediate former Minister for Food and Agriculture[11]
- Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central[9]
- Kwabena Agyapong, former Presidential Press Secretary and General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party[9]
- Boakye Agyarko, immediate former Minister for Energy and Petroleum[9]
- Joe Ghartey, former Attorney General[9]
- Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister for Regional Cooperation
- Alan Kyeremanten, immediate former Minister for Trade and Industry[9]
- Kwadwo Poku, businessman[12]
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 the final primary in November. Vice President Bawumia placed first, with 68% of the vote. 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 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 primary.[13] However, Kyeremanten announced that he would withdraw from the primary (later leaving the NPP entirely and launching his own third-party campaign), leaving four candidates.[14]
Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
Mahamudu Bawumia | 629 | 68.37 |
Kennedy Agyapong | 132 | 14.35 |
Alan Kyeremanten | 95 | 10.33 |
Owusu Afriyie Akoto | 36 | 3.91 |
Francis Addai-Nimoh | 9 | 0.98 |
Boakye Agyarko | 9 | 0.98 |
Kwabena Agyapong | 6 | 0.65 |
Kwadwo Poku | 4 | 0.43 |
Kofi Konadu Apraku | 0 | 0.00 |
Total | 920 | 100.00 |
The NPP held its primary on 4 November 2023. Bawumia again won by a wide margin, confirming him as the NPP's nominee for the 2024 elections, although Agyapong placed in an ever stronger second relative to his performance in the Super Delegates' Congress.[15]
Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
Mahamudu Bawumia | 118,210 | 61.43 |
Kennedy Agyapong | 71,991 | 37.41 |
Owusu Afriyie Akoto | 1,459 | 0.76 |
Francis Addai-Nimoh | 781 | 0.41 |
Total | 192,441 | 100.00 |
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 post a GH₵500,000 filing fee and a GH₵30,000 nomination fee (women and disabled candidates were eligible for a 50% discount, but none ultimately applied). The NDC would select its candidate on 13 May 2023.[16]
Presidential candidates
Nominee
- John Mahama, former President of Ghana (2012–2017)[17]
Eliminated in primary
- Kojo Bonsu, former mayor of Kumasi[17]
- Kwabena Duffuor, former governor of the Bank of Ghana and Minister for Finance and Economic Planning[17]
- Ernest Kobeah, businessman[17]
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.[18][19] 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.[20] Bonsu called Mahama to concede and offer his support.[21]
Candidate | Votes | % |
---|---|---|
John Mahama | 297,603 | 98.94 |
Kojo Bonsu | 3,181 | 1.06 |
Total | 300,784 | 100.00 |
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.[22]
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.[23][24]
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 Bediako. 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 a "an unforeseen state event".[25]
Opinion polls
Polling firm | Fieldwork Date | Mahama | Bawumia | Kyerematen | Bediako | Others | Margin of error | Sample size | Lead |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Global InfoAnalytics[26] | March 22-30 2024 | 54.3% | 34.9% | 7.5% | 2.3% | 1% | ±1.66% | 6,128 | 14.9% |
Filing of nomination papers
39 candidates made up of 12 political parties and 27 independent candidates indicated their intention to contest the 2024 presidential election. They collected nomination forms from the Electoral Commission.[27][28] The filing of nomination papers started on 9 September 2024.[29] At the close of nominations on Friday 13 September 2024, 24 of the candidates had successfully filed their nomination papers with the Commission.[30] 12 candidates submitted forms as representatives of political parties and the other 12 were independent candidates. Two candidates submitted their forms after the deadline on Friday 13 September 2024. The Electoral Commission received the forms but is yet to announce the fate of the two candidates.[31][32]
Party | Presidential candidate | Date / Form submitted | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
All People's Congress | Hassan Ayariga | 9 September 2024[33] | Contested 2020 election[34] |
Convention People's Party | Nana Frimpomaa Sarpong Kumankumah | 12 September 2024[35] | |
Great Consolidated Popular Party | Daniel Augustus Lartey | Submitted[30] | |
Ghana Freedom Party | Akua Donkor | 12 September 2024[35] | Contested 2020 election[34] |
Ghana Union Movement | Christian Kwabena Andrews | 9 September 2024[33] | Contested 2020 election[34] |
Liberal Party of Ghana | Percival Kofi Akpaloo | 9 September 2024[36][33] | Contested 2020 election[34] |
National Democratic Congress | John Mahama | 9 September 2024[33] | President of Ghana (2012 - 2016)
Contested 2020 election[34] |
National Democratic Party | Mohammed Frimpong | Submitted[30] | |
New Patriotic Party | Mahamudu Bawumia | 9 September 2024[33] | Vice President of Ghana (2016 - 2024)
Vice Presidential candidate in 2020[34] |
People's National Convention | aBernard Mornah | Submitted[30] | |
Progressive Alliance for Ghana | aJohn Enyonam Kwakwu Kpikpi | Submitted[30] | |
Progressive People's Party | aKofi Asamoah Siaw[30] | Forms were submitted late[37]
Vice Presidential candidate in 2020[38] | |
Independent | Muhammad Abdullah | Not submitted | |
aDesmond Abrefa | Submitted[30] | ||
aNana Stephens Adjepong | Submitted[30] | ||
Seth Ntim Agyarko | Not submitted | ||
T. K. Amenya | Not submitted | ||
Wilberforce Andrews | Not submitted | ||
aSam Sampong Ankrah | Submitted[30] | ||
aSamuel Apea-Danquah | 9 September 2024[33] | ||
Kenneth Kwame Asamoah | Not submitted | ||
Tom Asiseh | Not submitted | ||
Stephen Atubiga | Not submitted | ||
Agnes Ayisha | Forgot to fill forms[39] | ||
Nana Kwame Bediako | 9 September 2024[40][33] | ||
aNii Amu Darko | Submitted[30] | ||
Nana Ohene Aggrey Bentsil Djan | Not submitted | ||
Tawiah N. Hemans | Not submitted | ||
Kofi Koranteng | Submitted[30] | ||
Alan John Kyerematen | 11 September 2024[41] | ||
aJanet Asana Nabla | 12 September 2024[35] | ||
Isaac Wiafe Ofori | Not submitted | ||
aJames Kwasi Oppong | Submitted[30] | ||
aPaul Perkoh | Submitted[30] | ||
Robert Roy Reindorf | Not submitted | ||
Richard Sumah | Not submitted | ||
George Twum-Barima-Adu | 9 September 2024[33] | ||
Samuel Worlanyo | Not submitted | ||
Jacob Osei Yeboah | Not submitted
Vice Presidential candidate in 2020[42] |
^a – Disqualified by the Electoral Commission of Ghana
Final list of presidential candidates for the 2024 election
On 20 September 2024, the Electoral Commission released the final list of candidates who would be on the ballot for the presidential election. 13 of the 24 applicants made the final list while 11 were disqualifed. The disqualifications were based on the candidates not having fulfilled all the requirements or discrepancies noticed on their forms.[43] 9 of the 12 candidates of political parties and 4 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.[44] The order of candidates on the ballot paper was determined by a ballot conducted by the Electoral Commission on 20 September 2024.[45][46]
Number | Party | Abbreviation | Presidential Candidate | Running Mate |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | New Patriotic Party | NPP | Mahamudu Bawumia | Matthew Opoku Prempeh |
2 | Great Consolidated Popular Party | GCPP | Daniel Augustus Lartey | |
3 | Ghana Freedom Party | GFP | Akua Donkor | Kwabena Agyeman Appia Kubi[47] |
4 | Ghana Union Movement | GUM | Christian Kwabena Andrews | Evelyn Serwaa Bonsu[48] |
5 | Liberal Party of Ghana | LPG | Kofi Akpaloo | Elizabeth Sam[49] |
6 | National Democratic Party | NDP | Mohammed Frimpong | |
7 | Convention People's Party | CPP | Nana Akosua Frimpomaa | |
8 | National Democratic Congress | NDC | John Dramani Mahama | Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang |
9 | All People's Congress | APC | Hassan Abdulai Ayariga | Samuel Mensah[50] |
10 | Independent | Kofi Koranteng | ||
11 | Independent | George Twum-Barima-Adu | ||
12 | Independent | Nana Kwame Bediako | ||
13 | Independent | Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen | Kwame Owusu Danso[51] | |
Source:Graphic Online |
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