By Maxwell Akalaare Adombila and Christian Akorlie
ACCRA (Reuters) – Ghana’s former President John Dramani Mahama has staged a political comeback by profitable the West African nation’s presidential election after his rival Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia conceded defeat on Sunday.
The results of Ghana’s normal election is one other blow to a ruling occasion in a area the place voters, hit by financial hardship, excessive inflation and native foreign money depreciation, have brought on upsets as they search modifications in management.
Mahama, 66, who served as Ghana’s president from 2012 to 2016, framed Bawumia as representing a continuation of the insurance policies that led to Ghana’s worst financial disaster in a technology.
The world’s second greatest cocoa grower, and main gold-producing nation, reached a take care of the Worldwide Financial Fund final yr for a $3 billion bailout after it defaulted on most of its worldwide debt.
“I have, this morning, received a congratulatory call from my brother Dr. Bawumia, following my emphatic victory in Saturday’s election. Thank you, Ghana,” Mahama stated in a submit on X social media.
Addressing a press convention from his residence, Bawumia stated he known as Mahama to congratulate him, including that Mahama’s Nationwide Democratic Congress (NDC) additionally gained the parliamentary election.
“The data from our own internal collation of the election results indicate that former President John Dramani Mahama has won the presidential election decisively,” Bawumia stated, including that NDC additionally gained the parliamentary election.
Bawumia stated he conceded earlier than the official consequence to ease tensions.
Earlier than his concession, scuffles had been reported in a number of native constituency centres the place outcomes have been nonetheless arriving from polling stations.
“I am making this concession speech before the official announcement by the Electoral Commission to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country,” Bawumia stated.
“It is important that the world investor community continues to believe in the peaceful and democratic character of Ghana,” he added.
A whole lot of NDC supporters took to the streets of the capital Accra on Sunday to rejoice after Bawumia conceded defeat.
Early outcomes had proven Mahama and the NDC occasion with a commanding lead. Pleasure Information reported that Mahama was main with over 53% of the vote to Bawumia’s 45.16% after provisional outcomes from 68 out of a complete 276 constituencies have been counted.
In a information convention on Sunday earlier than Bawumia conceded, Sammy Gyamfi, nationwide spokesperson for the NDC, stated provisional internally collated outcomes by occasion brokers from 38,896 out of the full 40,976 polling stations confirmed Mahama was main with round 56%.
He stated the occasion appeared on monitor to win round 185 out of 276 seats in Parliament.
