Ghana’s 2024 general elections were conducted peacefully and mainly transparently, despite a few isolated incidents, according to the ECOWAS Election Observation Mission (EOM).
According to a preliminary statement made public during a press conference in Accra on Monday, December 9, 2024, the Mission stated that the elections mainly followed regional and national standards, with a safe and orderly voting process guaranteed by the competent poll workers and the efficient presence of security forces.
Former Nigerian Vice-President and Head of the ECOWAS Mission Dr. Namadi Sambo emphasized the elections’ inclusion by highlighting the rules that allowed voters with disabilities and the blind to cast their ballots on their own.
He also noted the one-off security event in Nyankpala, Northern Ghana, where one person was killed and another was injured, but emphasized that it did not take away from the generally tranquil environment.
In order to reduce tensions following the election, the Mission praised the presidential candidates’ sportsmanship, especially that of Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who announced his defeat before the official results were announced.
The EOM also commended departing President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his leadership over his two terms in office, particularly his contributions to regional integration and his role as ECOWAS Chair, and congratulated President-elect John Dramani Mahama on his election.
Throughout Ghana’s 16 regions, the EOM placed 70 observation teams at 871 polling places in 54 districts. Representatives from the Commonwealth, the African Union, and other international organizations that watched the polls agreed with Dr. Sambo’s remarks.
The delegation advocated for further measures to fortify democracy throughout the region and ended by praising the Ghanaian people on their nonviolent participation.
Source: newsthemegh.com