The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Jean Mensa, has disclosed that last Saturday’s elections recorded a voter turnout of 60.9%, which marks a decline in civic participation, compared to the 2016 elections, which saw a turnout of 68.6%.
Despite a registered voter population of 18,774,159 in 2024, only 11,430,581 votes were cast, with 239,109 ballots rejected.
This drop in turnout has raised concerns about the growing disengagement of the electorate.
NDC Surges Back to Power
John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the 2024 presidential election with 6,328,397 votes, representing 56.55% of valid votes cast.
His main rival, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) secured 4,657,304 votes, amounting to 41.61%.
This outcome represents a dramatic reversal of fortunes for the two major parties compared to 2016.
The NDC’s performance in 2024 marked an increase in its vote share and an emphatic return to power.
Conversely, the NPP suffered a sharp decline in votes, as Bawumia’s numbers fell significantly short of Akufo-Addo’s 2016 performance.
Over the weekend, Ghanaians went to the polls to elect new Members of Parliament (MPs) and a President of the Republic.
Although some parliamentary seats are outstanding due to disagreements, the NDC has won enough seats to have a clear majority in parliament.
The exercise, which started peacefully on Saturday morning, later escalated into chaos in some parts of the country due to issues of attempted rigging and delays in the collation of results in some constituencies.
Turnout Trends for 2024 vs 2016
In 2016, the country experienced a highly competitive electoral process that energised voters, with 15,712,499 registered voters and 10,781,609 casting their ballots.
That election saw Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the NPP defeating the incumbent, John Dramani Mahama of the NDC, in a tightly contested race.
Akufo-Addo secured 53.85% of the votes, while Mahama garnered 44.40%.
Smaller Parties and Independent Candidates
As in previous elections, smaller parties and independent candidates played a negligible role in shaping the outcome of the 2024 polls. The combined vote share of these candidates was less than 1%.
For the smaller political parties, The Convention People’s Party (CPP), once a major force in Ghanaian politics, only mustered 23,397 votes (0.21%) through its candidate, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa.
Similarly, Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr. of the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and Christian Kwabena Andrews of the Ghana Union Movement (GUM) each secured 16,673 votes (0.15%) and 16,461 votes (0.15%) respectively.
The Liberal People’s Party (LPG), represented by Kofi Akpalo, secured 5,219 votes (0.09%) while Mohammed Frimpong of the National Democratic Party (NDP) received just 4,413 votes (0.04%).
Hassan Ayariga, another minor candidate from the All People’s Congress (ACP) received 17,461 votes (0.16%).
Independent Candidate
For the Independent candidates, among them were Nana Kwame Bediako who led the pack with 84,488 votes (0.75%), emerging as the leading independent candidate.
Former member of the NPP, Founder and leader of the Movement for Change and Alliance for Revolutionary Change, Alan Kyetematen’s bid attracted only 31,022 votes (0.28%).
Other independent candidates, including Kofi Koranteng (3,320 votes, 0.03%) and George Twum-Barima-Adu (3,091 votes, 0.02%) struggled to cross the 0.05% threshold.
