Go to court to address electoral dispute, US tells Mahama
The US Ambassador to Ghana describes the 2020 election as free and fair, urging stakeholders to settle disputes in court
- "The United States expects that any electoral disputes would be resolved through established legal channels, in keeping with Ghana's hard-earned reputation as a shining example of democracy in the region and across the world."
The United States government has congratulated President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on his re-lection in the just ended 7 December elections.
A statement issued by the US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan, described the just ended presidential and parliamentary elections as “free and fair”.
The statement, however, called on aggrieved parties in the just ended polls to resolve any electoral dispute in court.
“The United States expects that any electoral disputes would be resolved through established legal channels, in keeping with Ghana’s hard-earned reputation as a shining example of democracy in the region and across the world,” the statement said.
“The U.S. government stands ready to continue our strong partnership with the government and people of Ghana to advance our shared prosperity.”
The Declaration
The chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Jean Mensa, on Wednesday declared Akufo-Addo the winner of the 2020 presidential elections, after defeating John Mahama of the National Democratic Congress.
Akufo-Addo won by 51.59% of the total votes cast as against Mahama’s 6,214,889 representing 47.36%. Akufo-Addo polled a total of 6,70,413 votes out of the total votes of 14, 434, 574.
Crowds of jubilant supporters took to the streets in Accra and other parts of the nation to celebrate the victory of the 76-year-old New Patriotic Party (NPP) leader.
Akufo-Addo defeated John Mahama by 53.8% to 44.4% in the 2012 election.
Ghana’s elections have been historically close, with Mahama narrowly winning against Akufo-Addo in 2012 with 50.7%. In that elections, Akufo-Addo unsuccessfully challenged Mahama’s victory in the courts.
However, the minority NDC has since rejected the 2020 results, describing the election as full of irregularities in some parts of the country.
Fred Dzakpata
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