Over 15 million electorate are likely to queue today in centres across the country to cast their ballots to elect the next Ghanaian leader for the republic.
The eligible voters on Ghana’s electoral roll for the December 7 polls hovers around 15 million above the 2012 figure of 14 million, according to the Electoral Commission (EC).
The difference in the voter population of the previous elections(2012, 14 million) and that of the 2016 elections has seen a record of about 1.7 million more people which statistically represents more than 57% of the total population.
The body that presides over elections in the West African nation-Ghana, the Electoral Commission(EC) has created nearly 29,000 polling stations to facilitate the electoral process in every nook and cranny of the country. click here for details.
SEE the regional breakdown of the number of polling stations
Ashanti ….5,190
Gt. Accra…4,762
Eastern…..3243
Brong Ahafo..2,963
Western……2941
Northern….2,688
Volta ……2506
Central…..2,482
Upper East…1,226
Upper West…991
Seventeen Presidential candidates filled forms to contest the election, but the country’s electoral body, Electoral Commission (EC), for various reasons scaled down the number to 7 and disqualified 10 aspirants.
The seven presidential candidates contending for the presidency include the incumbent who has been in power since 2012, John Dramani Mahama, of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, the three-time Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP, the main opposition), and Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, of the National Democratic Party (NDP).
Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Paa Kwesi Nduom, of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Edward Mahama, of the People’s National Convention (PNC), and an Independent Candidate, Jacob Osei Yeboah, are all vying for the highest office of the country.
Today’s polls will also see 1158 candidates who are running for the legislative positions to form the next parliament( 275 members).
List of Parliamentary candidates on regional basis
Parliamentary candidates(Western)
Parliamentary candidates(Volta region)
Parliamentary candidates(Upper West)
Parliamentary candidates(Upper East)
Parliamentary candidates(Northern)
Parliamentary candidates(Gt. Accra)
Parliamentary candidates(Brong Ahafo)
Parliamentary candidates(Ashanti reg.)
Parliamentary candidates(Central reg.)
The stakes of the election are especially high for main opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, who still remains upbeat in his bid to taste power and dislodge the ruling party-NDC.
Aside the several international and regional observer missions that have pitched camp in the country to lay surveillance for a free, transparent and credible polls. The Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) has also deployed about 8,000 observers to monitor the electoral process across the country.
“Ghana is a bellwether and anchor for Africa’s democratic trends. The outcome of this poll will be closely watched and could have an outsized regional impact,” said Alex Vines,head of the Africa program at the Chatham House, a London-based think tank.
