Opposition leader, Nana Akufo-Addo, has won Ghana’s national election, becoming president-elect at the third attempt and cementing the country’s reputation as a standard bearer of democracy in the West African region.
Akufo-Addo defeated President John Mahama by 53.8 per cent to 44.4 per cent, electoral commissioner Charlotte Osei said late on Friday, sparking scenes of celebration in the capital Accra.
Supporters of his New Patriotic Party (NPP) cheered, danced and set off fireworks following an anxious day in which his victory had been broadly accepted but there were no official results.
“I make this solemn pledge to you tonight: I will not let you down. I will do all in my power to live up to your hopes and expectations,” Akufo-Addo told a jubilant crowd in the garden of his residence.
Akufo-Addo, 72, served as foreign minister and attorney general in the NPP government that ruled between 2001 and 2009 and twice previously lost close battles for the presidency.
Reuters reports that President Mahama called him to offer congratulations just before Osei’s statement and later he addressed his supporters.