IPNEWS: Ghana’s opposition leader, John Mahama has taken an early lead in the presidential race as counting slowly gathered pace in the nation wracked by inflation and a debt crisis.
National Democratic Congress’ Mahama leads 50.3% of the votes counted from 9% of the nation’s 276 constituencies, Joy TV reported. The ruling New Patriotic Party’s Mahamudu Bawumia current follows with 48% of the votes, according to the Accra-based broadcaster. The early results aren’t necessarily indicative of the final outcome.
Meanwhile the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has deployed one hundred and twenty observers for the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (ECOWAS-EOM) to the Presidential and parliamentary Elections in Ghana. The observers were deployed today, December 5, 2024, in Accra, ahead of the December 7 General Elections.
As part of the ECOWAS electoral assistance to Member States, H.E. Dr. Omar Alieu Touray, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, approved the deployment of twenty (21) long-term observers (LTOs) and one hundred and twenty (120) short-term election observers (STOs) to the 16 Regions and 216 Districts of Ghana to support and monitor the entire electoral process.
The observers include Members of the ECOWAS Parliament, Community Court of Justice, Representatives from Ministries of foreign Affairs from Member States, Representatives of ECOWAS Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) in Abuja, ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions (ECONEC), and Election Experts from the Region.
While welcoming the Observers, H.E. Ambassador Mohammed Lawan Gana, the Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Ghana, stressed that ECOWAS is fully committed to supporting democratic processes in Member States through electoral assistance.
He added that “the peaceful conduct and credible outcome of this election is key to strengthening Ghana’s democratic credentials and would further underscore ECOWAS commitment to enthroning democracy in the Region”.
Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted that ECOWAS electoral assistance to its Member States is in line with the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance of 2001 and the decision of the Authority of Heads of State and Government relating to the timely deployment of pre-electoral missions and observations in the member states organising elections.
The Head of the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the Presidential and Parliamentary Elections in Ghana, H.E. Mohammed Namadi Sambo, former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in his welcome address, thanked the observers for accepting to serve the community.
“This is a noble call by whatever standards you judge it, as it contributes to our region’s stability, peace, and progress. As you know, an election is a major trigger of violent conflicts in our region and Africa at large. Our work, therefore, is not only to consolidate democracy but also to ensure peace and stability before, during and after elections in our Member States,” he added.
Vice President Sambo stressed to the Observers that they must succeed in their Mission to ensure that the election is transparent, free, fair, credible, peaceful and inclusive and that ECOWAS standards are maintained.
ECOWAS has extended support to the democratic process in Ghana and is committed to accompanying the government and the people through the Elections. The ECOWAS support includes a $210 thousand US Dollars grant to key stakeholders (NCCE, NPC, CODEO and FOSDA). This indicates the importance ECOWAS places on peaceful electoral processes in the Region.
