ADVISORY: Ghanaian opposition party awaits victory confirmation by Electoral Commission
Second Successful Election in a Week Signals Democratic Surge Across Africa
Due to Ghana’s position as a democratic leader on the African continent, Vanguard Africa has closely followed the elections and has been in close communication with activists and political parties long before our organization was formed. On this truly historic day, the Vanguard Africa team sends warm and well-deserved congratulations to all Ghanaians for yet another peaceful, free, and fair election.
Ongoing tallies published by local outlets in Ghana point to a decisive win for Nana Akufo-Addo and his National Patriotic Party (NPP) by an absolute majority. Although the Electoral Commission has yet to announce the official results, the NPP is confident of its victory and expects incumbent President John Mahama´s concession call this evening.
"Our representatives at the Electoral Commission have verified and endorsed the result sheets from 241 of the total 275 constituencies. We are ahead by over 1 million votes nationwide and by 10 percentage points overall, well above the absolute majority threshold that is needed to win," Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a Senior Advisor to Mr. Akufo-Addo, said to Vanguard Africa today.
This is Mr. Akufo-Addo´s third attempt at Ghana’s presidency after two controversial second-round defeats. In 2008, despite winning the first round by more than 100,000 votes, he ultimately conceded defeat to John Atta-Mills after losing by less than half a percentage point in the subsequent run off -- a move that was highly praised by regional leaders and the international community. He was again narrowly defeated in 2012 by incumbent President John Mahama.
Ghana has a long and respected tradition of peaceful democratic transitions, exemplified by its last two elections. In order to avoid potential tension and mistrust in Ghana’s democratic institutions, Vanguard Africa calls on the Electoral Commission to swiftly ratify the election results and to communicate more openly with Ghanaians and the international community who are actively following the election. Following the truly historic events this past week in the Gambia, we at Vanguard Africa are collectively energized and enthused for the future of democracy in the region.
Disclaimer: Several members of the Vanguard Africa team have supported Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP since 2008, but the organization was not on the ground for this election.