{"id":260829,"date":"2024-12-05T10:37:59","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T10:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/12\/05\/economic-and-public-discontent-runs-high-as-ghana-readies-to-vote-on-saturday\/"},"modified":"2024-12-05T10:37:59","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T10:37:59","slug":"economic-and-public-discontent-runs-high-as-ghana-readies-to-vote-on-saturday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/12\/05\/economic-and-public-discontent-runs-high-as-ghana-readies-to-vote-on-saturday\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic and public discontent runs high as Ghana readies to vote on Saturday"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

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\"NPP's NPP’s Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (Right) and NDC’s John Dramani Mahama (Left)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Public frustration over Ghana\u2019s economic struggles, including high prices and a lack of jobs, has dominated the run-up to Saturday\u2019s general election, which will likely test the nation\u2019s longstanding democratic credentials.<\/p>\n

Support for outgoing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has waned in his second term amid the West African nation\u2019s worst economic crisis in a generation, along with cost-of-living protests and turmoil in its vital cocoa and gold industries.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the clamor for change has tipped the presidential and legislative race firmly in favor of opposition leader John Dramani Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, polls show, though voter patience with the political process is running low.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe country is ruined. I will vote but I don\u2019t think it will change anything,\u201d said 18-year-old high school graduate Emmanuel Kwaku Jr., who will be casting his ballot for the first time.<\/p>\n

An October survey by the pan-African research group Afrobarometer found 82% of Ghanaians felt the country was headed in the wrong direction and less than half expected change for the better in the next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the trappings of democracy: we do the elections every four years, yet the dividends \u2026 are low,\u201d said Abena Tekyiwaa Manuh, senior fellow of the Accra-based Centre for Democratic Governance (CDD). \u201cThat\u2019s dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ghana\u2019s commitment to two-term limits for presidents and largely peaceful transfers of power has increasingly made it an outlier in a region swept by coups and constitutional shenanigans in recent years.<\/p>\n

But whoever wins the election will be under pressure to deliver on campaign promises to improve the livelihoods of citizens, or the largely youthful population could begin to wonder if democracy is overrated, said Manuh and two Western diplomats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see a lot of anger among the youth, a sense of hopelessness but also a sense of change. If that doesn\u2019t happen at the elections, what will happen?\u201d asked one of the diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is growing concern Ghana\u2019s peace and democracy is fragile.\u201d<\/p>\n

A tricky phase<\/b><\/p>\n

Twelve candidates are vying for the presidency, with Mahama and the ruling party\u2019s Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia seen as the main contenders.<\/p>\n

Both have vowed to turn the page on economic instability since 2020 that saw inflation soar above 50%, the International Monetary Fund wade in with a $3 billion bailout, and a mass restructuring of Ghana\u2019s debts.<\/p>\n

Polls open for the 18.7 million registered voters at 0700 GMT and close at 1700, with legislative results due by early Monday and presidential results by Tuesday, although trends often allow the outcome to be called early.<\/p>\n

The vote results period \u201cis going to be a tricky phase\u201d as tensions may rise due to low trust in institutions, including the electoral commission, said Jonas Claes, elections lead for the EU delegation in Ghana.<\/p>\n

Mahama and his party have repeatedly questioned the commission\u2019s ability to deliver credible elections, alleging voter roll irregularities and other issues.<\/p>\n

Bawumia and the ruling NPP say the allegations show Mahama is preparing to reject the results if they do not go his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think widespread violence is to be expected, but it\u2019s difficult to be 100% sure,\u201d Claes said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NPP’s Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (Right) and NDC’s John Dramani Mahama (Left) Public frustration over Ghana\u2019s economic struggles, including high prices and a lack of jobs, has dominated the run-up to Saturday\u2019s general election, which will likely test the nation\u2019s longstanding democratic credentials. Support for outgoing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his ruling New Patriotic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":220577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nEconomic and public discontent runs high as Ghana readies to vote on Saturday - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2024\/12\/05\/economic-and-public-discontent-runs-high-as-ghana-readies-to-vote-on-saturday\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Economic and public discontent runs high as Ghana readies to vote on Saturday - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"NPP’s Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (Right) and NDC’s John Dramani Mahama (Left) Public frustration over Ghana\u2019s economic struggles, including high prices and a lack of jobs, has dominated the run-up to Saturday\u2019s general election, which will likely test the nation\u2019s longstanding democratic credentials. 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