2024 elections will determine Ghana's commitment to multi-party democracy - Bagbin

Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said that the 2024 elections will be different from all elections held in the Fourth Republic as it marks a critical point in the country's democratic history.

In a report by 3news.com on Thursday, September 10, 2024, he explained that the pending elections will serve as a litmus test for Ghana's commitment to multi-party democracy.

“The 2024 elections is unlike the 1992 elections or the 1996 or the 2000 elections. It is not also like 2004, 2008, or 2012 elections, neither is it like the 2016 and 2020. This is a critical election that will determine whether we are truly committed to the cause of multiparty constitutional democracy. Clearly this election is not just about the political parties; it is about the soul of our nation, and so to have very experienced political leaders particularly His Excellency the president, who started politics at a very early age because of his parenthood and who was an activist in the CPP, grew up to be the president of Kwame Nkrumah Youth Forum, and after the 1966 elections joined the United Party, Progress Party,” he is reported to have said.

Alban Bagbin expressed concern about the President's recent comment about not handing over power to the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, describing it as unacceptable and shocking.

“That is unacceptable, I was really shocked to hear that because the president knows that the power he is wielding is not his, it is for the people, particularly the voters. The people voted and gave you that power, once they voted for you, on the 6th of January 2024. HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has no such power, he knows, so it is just an empty boast," he stated.

On May 7, 2024, President Akufo-Addo, while addressing supporters at a mini-rally in Doboro in the Greater Accra region, expressed doubt about John Mahama's ability to develop the country, citing their electoral contests in the past and Mahama's constant criticisms of his actions.

“I can’t hand over to someone I defeated twice and who is not happy with everything I do; he will destroy the work that I have done," he stated.

JKB/ ADG

Watch the final part of Hassan Ayariga's interview on GhanaWeb TV with Etsey Atisu on Election Desk below: