Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo reelected to a second term

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana will have a second four-year term after the country’s electoral commissioner declared on Wednesday that the 76-year-old had won the December 7 presidential polls.

The president beat the challenge from 11 other presidential candidates among whom included John Dramani Mahama, the man Akufo-Addo succeeded in 2017. Mahama, 62, is yet to concede defeat although the majority of the other contestants have already called to congratulate the president-elect.

Akufo-Addo won 51.59% of the over 13 million votes cast. His closest challenger, Mahama, polled 47.3%. Ghana’s presidential elections are won by the candidate with more than 50% of the valid votes.

The Ghanaian leader will be sworn into his second term on January 7, 2021. Not much is expected to change in Akufo-Addo’s second term but it is certain that he will not count on a lot of help from his party in parliament.

A 46-parliamentary seat lead his New Patriotic Party (NPP) won in 2016 has been cut to naught. Depending on the results of currently contested local government (constituency) elections, the NPP may turn out to be the minority in Ghana’s parliament.

Akufo-Addo has presided over macroeconomic growth that has seen Ghana praised by international development partners. His first term also saw the introduction of free senior high school education in Ghana.

However, the former lawyer has also been accused of doing very little to fight corruption among his appointees. He has also been criticized for appointing close family relatives to top government positions.