Former President Jerry John Rawlings has congratulated Ghana’s President-elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for his victory in the 2016 general elections.
The former president said Nana Akufo-Addo’s victory, shows the Ghanaian electorate believes he is an honest leader, who can fight corruption.
The NPP Flagbearer secured the presidency after a third time, beating the incumbent, President John Mahama with 5, 716, 026, representing 53.85 per cent of valid votes cast.
Nana Akufo-Addo has become Ghana’s fifth president under the fourth Republic.
President Mahama, who ran on the ticket of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), secured 4,713,277 votes, representing 44.40 of valid votes cast.
His defeat makes him the first incumbent to lose an election since Ghana returned to multi-party democracy in 1992.
Other contestants were the People’s National Convention (PNC) candidate, Dr. Edward Mahama, who had 22,214 votes (0.21) percent, the National Democratic Party (NDP), Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, who received 16,878 (0.16 per cent) and the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom,who had 105, 682 ((1 per cent). Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, Convention People’s Party (CPP), who had 25,395 (0.24 per cent) and the independent candidate, Jacob Osei Yeboah, who received 10,781,609, (0.15).
The total votes cast was 10,761,609, out of 15,712,499 names on the voters’ register, representing 68 per cent turnout.
President Jerry Rawlings is the latest to congratulate the President-elect after President Mahama extended his congratulations Friday.
President Rawlings wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings also contested the 2016 presidential elections while his first daughter, Dr. Zanetor Rawlings, contested the Klottey Korle seat in the Greater Accra Region.
His daughter won, but his wife lost out to Nana Akufo-Addo.
Geroge Agyemang
