The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it welcomes the predication by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) would win the 2024 presidential election, but stressed it would not be news.
According to the party, the basis for the prediction was the usual assumption of the two-term rotation between the NPP and NDC since the 4th Republic commenced, a trend which is already established.
However, if NPP wins, “it would be a remarkable achievement that would demonstrate the coming of age of electoral politics in Ghana.”
The National Communications Director of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, in a statement issued Tuesday on the EIU five-year forecast in Ghana 2020-2025, said the party had welcomed what he described as constructive analysis, as same extends democratic free speech and provide perspectives to inform policy reform.
NDC can’t win with Mahama
The EIU in its report opined that the NDC should consider revitalising their bright 2024 fortunes with a fresh candidate. The report said Mr. Mahama was considering to re-run the election.
“Under the constitutionally mandated term limits, Mr Akufo-Addo cannot run for a third term. Mr Mahama is reportedly considering whether to run again, but we expect the NDC to seek to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate,” EIU reported.
Mr Mahama has already contested three presidential elections, won in 2012, but lost that of 2016 and 2020.
However, the NPP in the statement observed that the EIU introduced a new double-edged factor into the eight-year cycle, that is, the quality of leadership.
Mr. Asamoa explained that the EIU implied that former President Mahama’s record of leadership was so poor that if he became the candidate, the NDC predicted win will go up in smoke.
He claimed the NPP took that as a huge boost to its effort of “breaking the 8,” since they are confident that their candidate would have a better governance record based on the cumulative achievements of the party in the 4th Republic.
Slow Governance
Though the EIU cited slow governance progress as another reason for change in 2024, the NPP maintained that its cumulative record on unemployment, infrastructure and anti-corruption in the 4th Republic is better than those of the NDC.
The party argued that the NDC has not demonstrated any policy capacity capable of turning out better and faster outcomes in the areas listed.
“Indeed, the tendency is for the NDC to set the country back in respect of these factors whenever the eight-year cycle kicks in. The NPP builds and the NDC destroys,” Mr Buaben added.
The NPP in its statement said that the EIU could “comfortably say ‘we told you so,’ when the NPP breaks the eight with quality leadership and a strong policy performance that continues to deliver employment, increased infrastructure, and a higher profile against corruption.”
Small Majority
The party grounds its suspicion on the basis of the silence of the report on how the NDC would have a small majority in Parliament in 2024; but given that John Mahama is already the putative candidate.
