Rawlings’ death: Seven-day mourning period for ex-president begins

Ghanaians will from today, November 13, 2020, embark on a seven-day mourning period for departed former President Jerry John Rawlings.

This is after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declared a seven-day mourning period for the first president of the fourth republic.

In all parts of the country, national flags will fly at half-mast from today.

“I have directed that all national flags should fly at half-mast for the next seven (7) days in all parts of the country, and have declared seven days of national mourning from Friday, 13th November to Friday, 20th November. In honour of the memory of former President Rawlings, the Vice President and I have suspended our political campaigns for the same period”, the President announced.

Rawlings, Ghana’s longest-serving Head of State died on Thursday, November 12, 2020, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Speaking when the family of Rawlings called on him to officially notify him of his demise, Akufo-Addo said he was struggling to come to terms with his departure.

He expressed sadness and regret over his demise and described the fallen president as a man with ‘great energy and dynamism’.

“I was given this information this morning when I arrived at the office. I find it hard up to now to really assimilate this information. This is a man with great vitality, dynamism and energy,” he said.

“He and I had a tempestuous relationship…I believe that we came to see value in each other by the end. I am extremely disturbed and saddened by his passage,” Akufo-Addo added.