2024 Ghanaian general election

←  2020 7 December 2024 2028 →

Presidential election

Nominee Mahamudu Bawumia John Mahama Party NPP NDC   Nominee Alan John Kyerematen Nana Kwame Bediako Party Movement for Change The New Force

Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo NPP

Parliamentary election

All 275 seats in the Parliament of Ghana 138 seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Current seats NPP Nana Akufo-Addo 137 NDC Asiedu Nketia 137 Independents – 1 Incumbent Speaker Alban Bagbin NDC

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General elections will be held in Ghana on 7 December 2024 to elect the president and members of Parliament. ^{[1] [2]} Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo is term-limited and thus ineligible to run again.

Electoral system

The President of Ghana is elected using the two-round system, whilst the 275 members of Parliament are elected in single-member constituencies using first-past-the-post voting. ^{[3] [4]}

Eligible voters must be Ghanaian citizens who are at least 18 years old, although those declared insane are disenfranchised. Parliamentary candidates must be Ghanaian citizens at least 21 years old, and either be resident in their constituency or have lived there for at least five of the ten years prior to the election. ^[5]

Primary elections

New Patriotic Party

The ruling New Patriotic Party opened its nomination period on 26 May 2023, and closed nominations on 24 June 2023. It selected its candidate at its National Congress on 4 November 2023. ^[6] In the event more than five candidates filed to run in the primaries, the party would have called call a Special Congress on 26 August. Incumbent President Akufo-Addo said that members of his cabinet who sought to run for president should step down from their posts to focus on their campaigns, prompting a number of resignations. ^{[7] [8]}

Candidates

Nominee

• Mahamudu Bawumia, incumbent Vice-President of Ghana ^{[9] [10]}

Eliminated in primary

• Francis Addai-Nimoh, former Member of Parliament for Mampong
• Owusu Afriyie Akoto, immediate former Minister for Food and Agriculture ^[11]
• Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament for Assin Central ^[9]
• Kwabena Agyapong, former Presidential Press Secretary and General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party ^[9]
• Boakye Agyarko, immediate former Minister for Energy and Petroleum ^[9]
• Joe Ghartey, former Attorney General ^[9]
• Kofi Konadu Apraku, former Minister for Regional Cooperation
• Alan Kyeremanten, immediate former Minister for Trade and Industry ^[9]
• Kwadwo Poku, businessman ^[12]

Results

To reduce the number of candidates, the NPP held a Special Super Delegates Congress on 26 August 2023, which would select the top five candidates who would then go on to contest the final primary in November. Vice President Bawumia placed first, with 68% of the vote. To the surprise of many observers, "maverick" MP Kennedy Agyapong, running a campaign largely critical of the Akufo-Addo administration, placed second, edging out NPP veteran Alan Kyeremanten, who first ran for President in 2008. Owusu Afriyie Akoto placed fourth, while Francis Addai-Nimoh and Boakye Agyarko tied for fifth place, necessitating a run-off, which Addai-Nimoh won, rounding out the five final candidates for the primary. ^[13] However, Kyeremanten announced that he would withdraw from the primary (later leaving the NPP entirely and launching his own third-party campaign), leaving four candidates. ^[14]

The NPP held its primary on 4 November 2023. Bawumia again won by a wide margin, confirming him as the NPP's nominee for the 2024 elections, although Agyapong placed in an ever stronger second relative to his performance in the Super Delegates' Congress. ^[15]

Members of Parliament Retiring

The following MPs who have decided not to seek re-election and the Individuals who were elected to replace them:

Constituencies with Sitting Members of Parliament

Geater Accra

Ashanti Region

Eastern Region

Central Region

Northern Region

Western Region

Western North

National Democratic Congress

The opposition National Democratic Congress opened its nomination period on 22 February 2023 and closed nominations on 22 March 2023. Candidates were required to post a GH₵500,000 filing fee and a GH₵30,000 nomination fee (women and disabled candidates were eligible for a 50% discount, but none ultimately applied). The NDC would select its candidate on 13 May 2023. ^[16]

Candidates

Nominee

• John Mahama, former President of Ghana (2012–2017) ^[17]

Eliminated in primary

• Kojo Bonsu, former Mayor of Kumasi ^[17]
• Kwabena Duffuor, former Governor of the Bank of Ghana and Minister for Finance and Economic Planning ^[17]
• Ernest Kobeah, businessman ^[17]

Results

The NDC primary was held on 13 May 2023. Kobeah dropped out on 29 March and Duffuor dropped out the day before the election, claiming irregularities in the organization of the polls, leaving two candidates. ^{[18] [19]} Former President Mahama won nomination in an overwhelming landslide, winning nearly 99% of the vote, setting the stage for the fourth consecutive election in which he would be the NDC's flag-bearer. ^[20] Bonsu called Mahama to concede and offer his support. ^[21]

In June 2024, the NDC accused the electoral commission of colluding with the ruling NPP to rig the elections via an illegal voter transfer scheme, which the NDC claimed was orchestrated by Yohane Amarh Ashitey, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate and the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive. ^[22]

Parliamentary Primaries

ELECTED PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES FOR THE 2024 GENERAL ELECTIONS

UPPER EAST REGION

NORTHERN REGION

ASHANTI REGION

GREATER ACCRA

VOLTA

OTI

WESTERN NORTH

BONO

NORTH-EAST

WESTERN REGION

EASTERN REGION

SAVANNAH REGION

AHAFO

UPPER WEST REGION

CENTRAL REGION

BONO EAST

Other parties

Movement For Change

On 25 September 2023, Alan John Kyeremanten formed the Movement For Change party to aspire for the 2024 Ghanaian general election as an independent presidential candidate for the presidential race after resigning from New Patriotic Party (NPP). Therefore he will be a presidential candidate for the 2024 Ghanaian general election. ^{[23] [24]}

New Force

On 7 January 2024, real estate developer Nana Kwame Bediako announced that he would run as the candidate for the New Force movement. This followed weeks of speculation during which the New Force teased its fielding of a "masked" candidate who was widely expected to be Bediako. The announcement, which was due to take place at Black Star Square, was postponed after the presidential administration pulled the permit for the rally, citing a "an unforeseen state event". ^[25]

Opinion polls

References