Former President John Dramani Mahama holds a commanding lead in Ghana’s upcoming presidential election, with 52% of likely voters supporting him against Vice President Muhamudu Bawumia’s 41.3%, according to a poll released Monday by Accra-based research group Global InfoAnalytics.
The December 7 election will determine who succeeds President Nana Akufo-Addo, who steps down in January after two terms leading the gold- and cocoa-producing nation. Mahama, 65, and Bawumia, 60, emerge as frontrunners among thirteen candidates, with the poll carrying a 1.9% margin of error.
Voters identified the economy, jobs, education, and infrastructure as their primary concerns. Mahama’s previous 2012-2017 presidency saw significant infrastructure investment but faced criticism over power shortages and economic instability, alongside corruption allegations that never directly implicated him.
The election comes as Ghana implements a $3 billion International Monetary Fund bailout secured by Akufo-Addo’s government in 2023. Both The Economist Intelligence Unit and Fitch Solutions predicted in October that Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC) would win, citing the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) economic record.
“The election will probably be a very close contest between the two,” said University of Ghana political analyst Alidu Seidu, suggesting a potential runoff. Both leading candidates hail from northern Ghana, traditionally an NDC stronghold where the NPP has gained support.
No party has won more than two consecutive terms in Ghana’s democratic history.
