Ghanaian presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
A presidential election was held in Ghana
on 7 December 2008, at the same time as a parliamentary election. Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, a run-off election
was held on 28 December, 2008 between the two candidates who received the most votes, Nana Akufo-Addo and John Atta Mills. Mills was certified as the victor in the run-off election on January 3, 2009, by a margin of less than one percent.
John Atta Mills, who unsuccessfully ran as the National Democratic Congress
(NDC) presidential candidate in 2000
and 2004
, was overwhelmingly elected by NDC as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election.
Former Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo was elected as the 2008 presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party
(NPP) at a party congress on 23 December 2007. Although he fell short of the required 50%, the second-place candidate, John Alan Kyeremanten
, conceded defeat and backed Akufo-Addo.
The stakes of the election were raised by the discovery of oil in Ghana and an expectation for incoming oil revenues to begin in 2010. Additionally, allegations of electoral fraud that resulted in violence following elections in Kenya
and Zimbabwe
and military coups d'état
in Mauritania
and Guinea
caused international election monitors to hope the Ghanaian elections would refurbish the image of constitutional democracy in Africa.
.
Another poll conducted in October 2008 by the Angus Reid Global Monitor saw Akufo-Addo leading. The poll was conducted by interviewing 3,000 adults in all the regions
of the country.
The second round was rerun on 28 December 2008 but due to logistics problems, the Tain District
alone had its run-off election on 2 January 2009 due to problems with distributing ballots. Following the voting on 28 December, Mills led by a slim margin, causing the Election Commission to state it would not announce Mills as the winner until after the election rerun in Tain. Prior to the announcement hundreds of NDC supporters converged on the election headquarters demanding that Mills be declared the victor, but were kept at bay by riot police and armed soldiers.
Fear of election day violence caused the NPP to file a lawsuit seeking to delay voting in Tain as it claimed that "the atmosphere in the rural district was not conducive to a free and fair election". The court denied the NPP's injunction request and said it would only hear the case on 5 January 2009. In response, the NPP called its supporters to boycott the vote, for which it was criticised by civil groups.
, raised interest for African and international election reformers. In November 2009, a conference was held to analyze the 2008 election, and try to establish new standards and practices for African election commissions. Held in Accra, the conference was titled Colloquium on African Elections:Best Practices and Cross-Sectoral Collaboration. The conference was organized by a number of international election reform organizations including the National Democratic Institute, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems
, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa
and UNDP. Conference participants agreed to a communique that makes recommendations directed at African governments, civil society organizations, election management bodies, political parties, election monitoring and observer groups, security services, and the media to improve the credibility of elections in Africa.
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
on 7 December 2008, at the same time as a parliamentary election. Since no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, a run-off election
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
was held on 28 December, 2008 between the two candidates who received the most votes, Nana Akufo-Addo and John Atta Mills. Mills was certified as the victor in the run-off election on January 3, 2009, by a margin of less than one percent.
Background
On 21 December 2006, former Vice-PresidentVice-President of Ghana
The Vice-President of Ghana is the second-highest executive official in the Ghanaian government.-List of Vice-Presidents of Ghana:*Joseph W.S...
John Atta Mills, who unsuccessfully ran as the National Democratic Congress
National Democratic Congress (Ghana)
The National Democratic Congress is a social democratic political party in Ghana, founded by Jerry John Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001. The NDC was formed ahead of elections in 1992 and 1996 returned Jerry John Rawlings to...
(NDC) presidential candidate in 2000
Ghanaian presidential election, 2000
The Ghanaian presidential elections were held on 7 December 2000 with a second ballot on 28 December 2000.Parliamentary elections were held on 7 December 2000.There were seven candidates in the first round of elections on 7 December 2000...
and 2004
Ghanaian presidential election, 2004
The Ghanaian presidential election was held in the Republic of Ghana in West Africa on 7 December 2004. Parliamentary elections were held on the same day.There were four candidates:*George Aggudey...
, was overwhelmingly elected by NDC as its candidate for the 2008 presidential election.
Former Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo was elected as the 2008 presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party
New Patriotic Party
-External links:*...
(NPP) at a party congress on 23 December 2007. Although he fell short of the required 50%, the second-place candidate, John Alan Kyeremanten
John Alan Kyeremanten
John Alan Kyerematen is a Ghanaian politician. He attended Adisadel College in Cape Coast for his secondary education. He proceeded to the University of Ghana for a Bachelor's degree....
, conceded defeat and backed Akufo-Addo.
The stakes of the election were raised by the discovery of oil in Ghana and an expectation for incoming oil revenues to begin in 2010. Additionally, allegations of electoral fraud that resulted in violence following elections in Kenya
Kenyan presidential election, 2007
A presidential election was held as part of the Kenyan general election on December 27, 2007; parliamentary elections were held on the same date. Incumbent President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner and sworn in on December 30, despite opposition leader Raila Odinga's claims of victory...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008
The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on 29 March 2008. The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front , Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change , and...
and military coups d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in Mauritania
2008 Mauritanian coup d'état
A coup d'état took place in Mauritania on 6 August 2008 when Mauritanian President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi was ousted from power by a group of high ranking generals he had dismissed from office earlier that day.-Background:...
and Guinea
2008 Guinean coup d'état
The 2008 Guinean coup d'état was a Guinean military coup d'état that occurred in Guinea on 23 December 2008, shortly after the death of long-time President Lansana Conté...
caused international election monitors to hope the Ghanaian elections would refurbish the image of constitutional democracy in Africa.
Candidates
The following eight candidates formally registered with the Electoral Commission of GhanaElectoral Commission of Ghana
The Electoral Commission of Ghana is the official body in Ghana responsible for all public elections. Made up of seven members, its independence is guaranteed by the 1992 Ghana constitution. The current commission was established by the Electoral Commission Act of 1993.-Members:The Commission is...
.
- Kwabena Adjei – A managing director of a timber company representing the Reformed Patriotic Democrats
- Nana Akufo-Addo – The former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Minister for Foreign AffairsMinister for Foreign Affairs (Ghana)The Minister for Foreign Affairs is the Ghana government official who is responsible for overseeing the country's foreign policy and international diplomacy. The minister is usually one of the most senior members of Cabinet....
, and a current member of ParliamentParliament of GhanaThe Parliament of Ghana is the legislative body of the Ghanaian government.-History:Legislative representation in Ghana dates back to 1850, when the country was a British colony. The body, called the Legislative Council, was purely advisory as the Governor exercised all legislative and executive...
representing the New Patriotic PartyNew Patriotic Party-External links:*...
(NPP) - Kwasi Amoafo-Yeboah – An independent candidate
- Emmanuel Ansah-Antwi – Representing the Democratic Freedom PartyDemocratic Freedom PartyThe Democratic Freedom Party is a political party in Ghana. It was formed in 2006.-Formation:The formation of the party was first announced by Dr. Obed Asamoah, former chairman of the National Democratic Congress in February 2006. This follows a split between a Rawlings faction and an Asamoah...
(DFP) - Edward Nasigri MahamaEdward Mahama-Early life and education:Born in the village of Sumniboma in 1945, Mahama attended Nalerigu Primary and Middle School from 1953 to 1959. He then attended Secondary School in Tamale from 1961 to 1965...
– Representing the People's National Convention (PNC) - John Atta Mills – The former Vice-PresidentVice-President of GhanaThe Vice-President of Ghana is the second-highest executive official in the Ghanaian government.-List of Vice-Presidents of Ghana:*Joseph W.S...
representing the National Democratic CongressNational Democratic Congress (Ghana)The National Democratic Congress is a social democratic political party in Ghana, founded by Jerry John Rawlings, who was Head of State of Ghana from 1981 to 1993 and the President of Ghana from 1993 to 2001. The NDC was formed ahead of elections in 1992 and 1996 returned Jerry John Rawlings to...
(NDC) - Paa Kwesi NduomPaa Kwesi NduomPaa Kwesi Nduom or Papa Kwesi Nduom, is a business consultant and politician. He is the Convention People's Party's nominee to contest the Ghanaian presidential election in December 2008...
– The former Minister for Economic Planning & Regional Cooperation, Minister for Energy, Minister for Public Sector Reform, and a current member of Parliament representing the Convention People's PartyConvention People's PartyThe Convention People's Party is a socialist political party in Ghana, based on the ideas of former President Kwame Nkrumah.The CPP was formed in 1949 by Kwame Nkrumah to campaign for the independence of the Gold Coast. It ruled Ghana from 1957 to 1966...
(CPP) - Thomas Nuako Ward-Brew – Representing the Democratic People's PartyDemocratic People's Party (Ghana)The Democratic People's Party is a Ghanaian political party formed in 1992 after the ban on political party activity was lifted by the Provisional National Defence Council government of Ghana...
(DPP)
Opinion polling
A poll conducted in April 2008 showed Mills slightly ahead of Akufo-Addo. The National Commission for Civic Education conducted the poll which sampled 5,327 people. The poll also predicted a high voter turnout of 96.9%. Respondents came from coastal, middle and northern areas of the country.Another poll conducted in October 2008 by the Angus Reid Global Monitor saw Akufo-Addo leading. The poll was conducted by interviewing 3,000 adults in all the regions
Regions of Ghana
||Ghana is divided into ten regions :*Ashanti Region *Brong-Ahafo Region *Central Region *Eastern Region *Greater Accra Region *Northern Region *Upper East Region...
of the country.
| Administered | Akufo-Addo (NPP) |
Ansah-Antwi (DFP) |
Mills (NDC) |
Mahama (PNC) |
Nduom (CPP) |
Undecided | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr. 2008 | 42.6% | — | 42.9% | 1.1% | 6.3% | 7.1% | http://www.thinkghana.com/elections/polls/120.php |
| Oct. 2008 | 50.5% | 0.4% | 35.6% | 2.1% | 7.0% | — | http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/view/32333/akufo_addo_leads_rivals_in_ghana |
Results
Turnout on election day was very high. Since few votes were expected for other candidates than those of the two largest parties, a first-round victory for Akufo-Addo or Mills was seen as possible, but Nduom stated he wished to "surprise" the other parties by gaining enough votes to force a run-off between the two others. With 40% of the vote counted, Akufo-Addo was leading with 49.5% to Mills's 47.6%. While Mills pulled ahead afterwards, Akufo-Addo again led by a slim margin with over 70% of the votes counted.The second round was rerun on 28 December 2008 but due to logistics problems, the Tain District
Tain District
The Tain District is a district in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana. It was split off the Wenchi District by a decree of president John Agyekum Kufuor on November 12, 2003.-Sources:* * , GhanaWeb, November 20, 2003....
alone had its run-off election on 2 January 2009 due to problems with distributing ballots. Following the voting on 28 December, Mills led by a slim margin, causing the Election Commission to state it would not announce Mills as the winner until after the election rerun in Tain. Prior to the announcement hundreds of NDC supporters converged on the election headquarters demanding that Mills be declared the victor, but were kept at bay by riot police and armed soldiers.
Fear of election day violence caused the NPP to file a lawsuit seeking to delay voting in Tain as it claimed that "the atmosphere in the rural district was not conducive to a free and fair election". The court denied the NPP's injunction request and said it would only hear the case on 5 January 2009. In response, the NPP called its supporters to boycott the vote, for which it was criticised by civil groups.
Effects
The effective management of the 2008 election by the Electoral Commission of GhanaElectoral Commission of Ghana
The Electoral Commission of Ghana is the official body in Ghana responsible for all public elections. Made up of seven members, its independence is guaranteed by the 1992 Ghana constitution. The current commission was established by the Electoral Commission Act of 1993.-Members:The Commission is...
, raised interest for African and international election reformers. In November 2009, a conference was held to analyze the 2008 election, and try to establish new standards and practices for African election commissions. Held in Accra, the conference was titled Colloquium on African Elections:Best Practices and Cross-Sectoral Collaboration. The conference was organized by a number of international election reform organizations including the National Democratic Institute, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Africa Center for Strategic StudiesThe formation of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies began in 1994, when U.S. European Command petitioned the Chairman of the House International Relations Committee to create a Center on African Affairs that emulated the George C. Marshall European Center...
, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems
International Foundation for Electoral Systems
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1987. This Washington, D. C.-based development organization provides assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies...
, the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy is a democracy assistance organisation of political parties in the Netherlands for political parties in young democracies...
, the Open Society Initiative for West Africa
Open Society Initiative for West Africa
Open Society Initiative for West Africa is a West African organization which promotes democratic values. OSIWA "believes that it best serves by sustaining catalytic and innovative initiatives that add value to the efforts of West Africa's civil society." OSIWA also believes in the value of...
and UNDP. Conference participants agreed to a communique that makes recommendations directed at African governments, civil society organizations, election management bodies, political parties, election monitoring and observer groups, security services, and the media to improve the credibility of elections in Africa.