Ghana braces for heated contest

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: TWO-HORSE RACE ON CARDS West African nation’s eighth poll since democracy nearly 30 years ago.

Accra

Ghanaians will go to the polls on Monday in a heated contest that will revive old rivalries between incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo and his predecessor John Mahama.

Although 10 other candidates, including three women, are vying for the nation’s top job, the vote is a two-horse race between the two foes who will be slugging it out for the third time.

More than 17 million Ghanaians are registered to vote, half between the ages of 18 and 35, in the west African nation’s eighth consecutive poll since returning to democracy nearly 30 years ago.

The election is coming at a time of the coronavirus pandemic which has disrupted, but hasn’t stopped, campaigning by Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“There are party events and activity everywhere to drum up support, the airwaves are full of party songs, but we are not seeing mass rallies as usual,” said Kojo Asante, director for advocacy and policy engagement at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development.

The virus – which has infected more than 51 000 and killed more than 300 in Ghana since March – is not expected to deter voters and preventive measures such as hand sanitising stations near polling booths are planned.

The race is expected to be very close. Independent polls have predicted a slim win for the incumbent, while the NPP’s majority in the 275-member parliament is expected to drop.

In 2012, Mahama narrowly defeated Akufo-Addo with 50.7% of the vote and in 2016, Akufo-Addo beat Mahama with 53.8% of votes.

Many Ghanaians are worried that “vigilantes” hired by parties and deployed to provide security for politicians could cause problems at polling stations.

Until now, Ghana has always managed to contain simmers of post-electoral violence and transition largely peacefully.

But there have been preelection clashes and disagreements over the neutrality of the electoral commission.

“Tensions between the two main parties haven’t subsided and the stage is set for a potentially disputed outcome,” Sam Kwarkye, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies wrote in a report.

The police said more than 62 000 personnel have been deployed to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

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