All to vote for: Ghana’s 2024 elections and key takeaways

Ghana's December 7, 2024 elections will be the 9th in the Fourth Republic and there is a lot to vote for. Much more to vote for! Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a Vice president in the current administration is contesting as a presidential candidate this time around with the mantra, “It is possible”.

His vice presidential candidate is Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh. Their slogan suggests that the New Patriotic Party and its candidates are confident of winning the election come December 7, 2024.

A lot has happened since Dr Bawumia, the Vice president turned presidential candidate took office in 2016 and 2020 respectively. His boss, President Akufo Addo has praised him with accolades for being “loyal”, “never lied”, “full of integrity”, and “an effective Vice president”.

These praises and endorsements of Dr Bawumia from his boss (President Akufo-Addo) however will not eradicate or shield the eyebrow-raising problems that their administration has come to be known with.

We are still reeling from the recent debt exchange. A problem that has brought enormous material hardship to the victims whose only fault was to invest their earnings into their future; misuse of state funds as seen in the over $58 million now abandoned national cathedral; the infamous and unconstitutional decision to let our accountability “Lord” and Auditor general Mr Domelovo to proceed on forced leave, and asked to never return; the E-levy which was supposed to be game-changing in our economic woes; the unprecedented level of debt which necessitated Ghana getting kicked out of the international capital market, IMF bailout; regular cedi depreciation against the dollar; recent shortfalls in electricity supply and frequent blackouts; the intolerance to criticism and the accompanying gagging of the media and its practitioners; and recent decision by Akufo-Addo to commission a statue of himself. The majority of the above instances cannot be explained by COVID-19 or the Russia-Ukraine war. An explanation that we have become too familiar with.

The above are just snippets of the misrule, abuse of power, and impunity that has come to be associated with the current governing party. An excess that the now presidential candidate, Dr Bawumia cannot wash his hands or run away from. It has been argued that people should give Dr Bawumia a chance because he was only a “driver's mate”. Suggesting that he should not be punished for the sins of his boss, President Akufo-Addo.

The Economist, Dr Bawumia will have to reinvent himself if he is to win the votes of Ghanaians come December 7. He has made strides in the digital drive and also promises to provide 1 million youth with digital skills when elected as president. The votes on December 7 will affirm whether Ghanaians are satisfied with his reincarnation as a digital policy enthusiast. He has also promised to cancel taxes on betting and implement a credit-scoring system when elected among many.

In the last days of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) government campaign, a plethora of commissioning has taken place on both completed and partly completed infrastructure projects. The commissioning of hospitals, parks, schools, and bridges among others are led by the sitting president Akufo-Addo.

It is argued that this is part of a bid to shore up support for his government and presidential candidate Dr. Bawumia and the party going into the election. A move that has been called out by some as “last-minute”, and the president referred to by some as “Commissioner General”. These political schemes have led many to the question “Why now”?.

It has also brought questions regarding whether people should vote based on this last-minute evidence of work or voting based on their living conditions throughout the 4 years. Questions bother on “Will you vote for them?” or do you need to look past these last-minute gestures and “vote for change”?

Away from the current administration and its presidential candidate, we also have the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaigning to lead the nation again. As expected, they are reminding the citizens of the current government's misrule and asking for a second chance to redeem the nation through the “resetting Ghana” mantra. They have often cited the NPP as failing and need an opportunity to move Ghana to the next level.

Speaking of second chances, the leading candidate of the party, Former president John Dramani Mahama, is contesting again. This will be his third time at a rebound after his losses in 2016 and 2020. As the opposition party's candidate, he has ample reason to call the current NPP government into question given the many controversies they have been embroiled in. This is something I think he has not fully exploited.

Former president Mahama will have to do more to be able to win the election. He has become very synonymous with Ghanaians and will need to present more solid reasons to obtain more votes in this political season. It appears the NDC's messages are few and straightforward. Popular among the campaign messages include operationalizing a 24-hour economy- a policy that has multiple explanations depending on who you ask.

This goes to show that President Mahama and his team will need a coherent discussion on this major policy to capture the masses with it. They will also have to explain how they intend to provide more jobs as their campaign says.

His vice presidential candidate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman has also popularized the Women Development Bank Policy in a bid to empower more women through their access to loans for business. It is yet to be known how these three core policies resonate with the masses who are faced with limited options in this election.

Pulling the nation from the shambles of economic ruin will be a herculean task for former president Mahama should he win the election. Among these include addressing the debt challenge and the accompanying economic challenges. If he wins the election, the next burden he will have to also seriously consider is the parliament.

The current parliament is arguably the most dramatic of all parliaments in the 4th republic. This soap opera was caused by the equal number of MPs from both parties and a Speaker who was from the previous “minority”. It all started with the events leading up to the election of the Speaker in 2020 and continued to the parliament's untimely suspension in 2024.

As both parties run helter-skelter to garner support from all quarters of the country, There have been incidents of vote buying. There have been documented incidents of t-shirt distributions in communities, sharing food items in some cases, last-minute election-related and items distribution among many.

The electoral commission is also working around the clock to ensure a smooth election and working so hard to harness the public trust for the institution. Their recent communique was asking for a cut in the number of journalists in the collation centres. A call that received mixed reactions from the public and media alike. They also released a communique alerting of a shortfall in ballot papers for some regions.

The commission will have to do more to win the public trust and ensure a free fair election. This is the same for the Police who will have to appear neutral in enforcing order to promote a free and fair election. The US embassy in Accra has also hinted at visa restrictions on any person who will thwart the democratic strides made by Ghana during this election. A good call to keep everyone on their toes towards democratic consolidation.

The atmosphere is getting charged, looking like an election season, with lots of messaging around “vote for us” “it is possible” and “resetting Ghana”. Parties are walking and driving their way to harness the last votes at every nook and cranny of the country.

Beyond these dominant parties are also the activities of the “third force” parties. Parties that are outside the dominant two parties.

Of particular attention is the New Force party. A party or movement intending to disrupt the duopoly of the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress.

Their lead presidential candidate Nana Kwame Bediako touts his fresh ideas for Ghana. Their core policies include “making Ghana an industrial hub and business entity for economic growth” that will produce its own goods, and “making Ghana lead on the world stage through unprecedented development and export of manufactured goods”.

His recent speech also notes that the city of “Keta” with its sea can be the next Miami of Africa. This will require the building of hotels, skiing, and other Miami-like developments. These might sound lofty but goes to show the big ideas the movement has for transforming Ghana.

An independent candidate to also watch out for is Mr Alan Kyerematen. His butterfly movement, which is a breakaway from the New Patriotic Party after their internal election is on course to be a Third Force for Ghanaians to choose from.

Can we trust this new Third Force and New Force to deliver the political goods needed for this country? Ghanaians have an opportunity to trust a “New force” for once beyond the regular dominant parties and to follow up with a vote for them.

A question that is lingering on everyone's mind is, who will win this presidential election and the majority in parliament? An interesting trend in this year's election is the rise in online polls and predictions on who will win the election. With the election being days away, hopefully, we are able to decide quickly at the ballot in order to avoid the many guesses and a sample of political entrepreneurs who are parading as pollsters.

It will be amiss to not talk about the role of youth in this election. With the rise in technology and online presence of young people on multiple social media platforms, the online has become the “public square” and townhall of many. Platforms such as Facebook, X (formerly twitter), and instagram are avenues where political discussions are hard to skip this time.

Given that youth are the main consumers of these platforms, there is a concerted strategy by all political parties to be present online and recruit youth to fight their online battles. Also on the ground, young people are adding their voices through campaigns for various political parties.

Many young people are interested in meaningful development, decent employment, an improved standard of living, adequate infrastructure development, and a low cost of living. Parties that can present these in their campaign and have legitimate support might stand a chance at winning the election. The increased internet access has also made it easy to make comparisons across jurisdictions.

Many youths are comparing their country's development to other sister countries on the continent. This has increased the pressure on political leaders and their parties to be responsive to their needs. In this regard, the #Fixthecountry protest was an eye-opener to the needs of young people.

One thing we know for sure is that people need a democracy that works for them beyond voting. They want effective political systems that deliver development and essential political goods. Also important is that they want a Ghana that works for everyone and not just a few.

More practically, they need more secure jobs, addressing the tough economic conditions faced by citizens, promoting a free society with less intimidation and violence from those in authority such as the police, and political leaders, as well as more prosperity for all.

We hope this election on 7th December will usher in new developments and also provide the essential political goods needed for the betterment of everyone in Ghana.