General News of Friday, 11 December 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Election 2020: Majority of Ghanaians voted for change – Mahama

John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of National Democratic Congress John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of National Democratic Congress

Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress in the just ended presidential elections, John Dramani Mahama has said majority of Ghanaians voted for a change of government.

In a much anticipated address to the nation at the NDC headquarters, the former president said his party won both the presidential and parliamentary elections.

“The facts and figures on the pink sheets available to us indicate that numerous steps have been taken to manipulate the elections in favour of the incumbent president. There is no doubt that every Ghanaian in this country voted for change. We did so both in the presidential and parliamentary elections,” he said to a rousing applause from the supporters gathered at the venue.

Mr Mahama said he was a staunch believer in democracy, a system that allows for the people to make the ultimate decision of who governs them.

“I am a staunch believer in the experiment of democracy, a system of governance that allows the ultimate decision-making power to rest in the hands of you the good people of Ghana. We the people who with an eye towards the future we will like for our dear country elect representatives to forward and realise that vision. Government serves at the choice and direction of the people of this great nation.”

Mr Mahama reiterated that the party is unable to accept the results of the elections as announced by the Electoral Commission, calling it ‘fictionalised’.

“I am unable to accept the fictionalised results of the elections. Let me reiterate that we are unable to accept the results of the elections as announced by the Electoral Commission. These results are flawed.”

Background

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was declared winner of the 2020 presidential elections by the Electoral Commission.

He polled 6,730,413 votes, representing 51.59 per cent to beat closest contender John Dramani Mahama, who polled a total of 6,214,889 votes, representing 47.63 % in Monday’s presidential elections.

Mrs Jean Mensa in announcing the results stated that the total number of votes cast, 13,434,574, which represented a 79 percent voter turnout, was without the votes of Techiman South Constituency in the Bono East Region.

She explained that the difference of 515,524 between the votes for Mr Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mr Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) however cannot be overturned by results from Techiman South, which has a total of 128,018 registered voters for which she and the commission decided to declare Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as winner of the elections.