The first official results have been released from Saturday’s presidential election in Ghana and they look set to confirm the victory of opposition candidate, former President John Mahama.
With results in from 12 of the country’s 16 regions, Mahama has a strong lead of 61% against 38% for Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia.
The vice-president has already accepted defeat and congratulated Mahama on his victory on Sunday but there had been some frustration that it was taking so long to announce the official results.
President Nana Akufo-Addo is stepping down after reaching the official limit of two terms in office.
This election comes amid the worst economic crisis in a generation.
Unemployment, the cost of living and concerns over the environmental impact of illegal gold mining, known as “galmasey”, were among the key issues.
With many Ghanaians desperate for a change, Mahama won four regions – Bono, Ahafo, Western, and Central – which the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) had won in 2020.
However, the results from the Ashanti region, seen as a stronghold of the NPP, have not yet been announced.
Since Bawumia’s concession, Mahama’s supporters have been celebrating across the country.
People have been cheering, waving flags, blowing horns and spinning motorbikes.
“I’m so excited for this victory,” Salifu Abdul-Fatawu told the BBC in the central city of Kumasi.
He said he hoped it would mean that he and his sibling would get jobs, while the price of food and fuel would come down.
The vice-president said he had accepted defeat before the official announcement of the results “to avoid further tension and preserve the peace of our country”.
Although the election has generally been peaceful, two people were shot dead on Saturday in separate incidents.
The electoral commission office in the northern town of Damongo was also destroyed, allegedly by NDC supporters angry at the delays in announcing the results.
Mahama, 65, previously led Ghana from 2012 until 2017, when he was replaced by Akufo-Addo. Mahama also lost the 2020 election so this victory represents a stunning comeback.
Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the NPP have alternated in power since the return of multi-party politics to Ghana in 1992.
No party has ever won more than two consecutive terms in power – a trend that looks set to continue.
Mahama’s previous time in office was marred by an ailing economy, frequent power-cuts and corruption scandals.
However, Ghanaians hope it will be different this time round.
During the campaign, Mahama promised to transform Ghana into a “24-hour economy”.
The new president will be sworn in on 7 January 2025.
Additional reporting by Komla Adom in Kumasi and Natasha Booty in London
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