Ghana's opposition leader wins presidential election

Ghana's Opposition leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has won the closely contested presidential elections in the West African country, defeating incumbent John Dramani Mahama.

President Mahama of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) conceded defeat in a phone call to Akufo-Addo of the pposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) after results of the polls showed Akufo-Addo leading with over a million votes, 48 hours after voting closed.

Akufo-Addo, a former attorney general and minister of foreign affairs, garnered 5,716,026 votes, or 53.85 per cent of the total votes cast, while the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama obtained 4,713,277 votes, or 44.40 per cent votes, said Electoral Commission Chairperson Charlotte Osei.

Akufo-Addo beat out Mahama and five others in the race, including Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, a former first lady and wife of former President Jerry Rawlings. Her daughter Zanetor Rawlings won a legislative seat at Korley-Klottey constituency in the capital Accra.

According to the Election Commission, about 146,000 election officers with 64,000 security officers and over 400 foreign observers were deployed around the country to ensure a free and fair elections.

Nana Akufo-Addo's father, Edward Akufo-Addo, was a Ghanaian politician and lawyer. He was a member of the "Big Six" leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), which engaged in the fight for Ghana's independence.

From 1966 to 1970, he was appointed Chief Justice by the National Liberation Council (NLC) regime, as well as Chairman of the Constitutional Commission (which drafted the 1969 Second Republican Constitution.

From August 31, 1970 until his deposition by coup d'etat on January 13, 1972, Edward Akufo-Addo was President of Ghana in the Second Republic.

More than 15.7 million Ghanaians registered for the polls that were conducted on December 7. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will formally assume the office of the president on January 7.

(Francis Kokutse can be contacted at fkokutse@gmail.com)

--IANS

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