Rawlings turns 73 today, presents PPE, relief items to less privileged

Former President Jerry John Rawlings turns 73 today, Monday June 22, 2020.

As part of the celebration, last Friday, a team delegated by the former President made donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other relief items to the Pantang Hospital, Mawuvio Outreach Orphanage at Ayikuma and the Accra Mental Hospital at Asylum Down.

Packages of provisions were also distributed to vendors and other less privileged persons along the Fiesta Royale Traffic Lights, and the Kawukudi Junction on the same day.

About Jerry John Rawlings

Jerry John Rawlings, born June 22, 1947 is a former military leader and politician who ruled the country from 1981 to 2001 and also for a brief period in 1979.

He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected President of Ghana.

Rawlings initially came to power as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force following a coup in 1979.

Prior to that, he led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on May 15, 1979, just five weeks before scheduled democratic elections were due to take place.

After initially handing power over to a civilian government, he took back control of the country on December 31, 1981 as the Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).

In 1992, Rawlings resigned from the military, founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and became the first President of the Fourth Republic.

He was re-elected in 1996 for four more years. After two terms in office he handed over power peacefully to John Agyekum Kufuor of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who won the 2000 election.