Ghana’s vice president and ruling party candidate, Mahamudu Bawumia, has conceded defeat to opposition leader and former President John Dramani Mahama in the nation’s tightly contested presidential election.
In a statement at his residence in Accra on Sunday, Bawumia acknowledged the outcome of the election and congratulated Mahama on his victory.
“I’ve just called His Excellency John Mahama to congratulate him as president-elect of the Republic of Ghana,” Bawumia said. He added that he respects the decision of Ghanaians to vote for change.
Shortly after, Mahama confirmed receiving the call in a post on the X platform, describing his victory as “emphatic.”
Jubilant supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) erupted in celebrations across the country, including in the capital.
This year’s election unfolded against the backdrop of Ghana’s worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. High inflation, a depreciated currency, and an International Monetary Fund bailout defined the outgoing administration of President Nana Akufo-Addo, under whom Bawumia served as vice president.
The election was held against the backdrop of the country’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation and was seen as a litmus test for democracy in a region shaken by extremist violence and coups.
Bawumia was running as the flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party, or NPP, which has struggled to resolve the economic crisis under outgoing President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Mahama’s win is viewed as following the latest trend of elections around the world, favoring opposition parties against incumbents, from the United States to European countries — such as Britain and France — as well as South Africa.
Like in most other elections where the incumbent lost, the vote in Ghana was about the people making their disaffection known against a government that has lost goodwill, said Seidu Alidu, head of the department of political science at Ghana’s University of Legon.
Follow us on:
