Ghana's President Akufo-Addo Wins Second Term - Electoral Commission

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2020) The incumbent Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has won the presidential election and secured his second term, the country's Electoral Commission said on Wednesday.

"Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party [NPP] declared President-Elect," the commission said.

The 76-year-old incumbent leader received 51.2 percent of the Monday vote, while his main rival, former president John Mahama, got less than 48 percent.

In the 2016 presidential election, Akufo-Addo also was up against Mahama, and the NPP candidate won with 53.7 percent of the vote. Mahama was the president of Ghana between 2012-2016.

The international observers, including EU chief observer Javier Nart, have described the election as mostly free, but political tensions erupted after Mahama accused his rival of undermining democracy.

The political tensions triggered the post-election violence between supporters of the main candidates that killed at least five people and injured 17 more.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the turnout was high as over 13 million people, or nearly 80 percent of the registered voters, participated in the election.

Parliamentary elections were held on the same day as the presidential vote, but their results are yet to be announced.