Ghana Court Dismisses Opposition’s Election Challenge

Ghana’s Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the opposition’s election challenge led by runner-up John Mahama who had asked for a rerun of the December 7 vote won by incumbent Nana Akufo-Addo.

Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the vote with 51.59 percent ahead of Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, with 47.36 percent, according to official figures.

Former president Mahama contested the results, accusing the electoral commission of vote padding in favour of his longtime rival.

“(The) allegation of vote padding was not proved by credible evidence… we have therefore no reason to order for a rerun,” Chief Justice Kwesi Anin Yeboah said in its ruling.

“We accordingly dismiss the petition as having no merit.”

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Ghana’s new parliament was split down the middle with the two main parties winning 137 seats each.

Members of the NDC have described both the presidential and parliamentary election as “flawed” saying it would take steps to overturn a “brazen and shameless attack on our democracy.”

“Overwhelming evidence available makes it impossible for us to accept this spurious and hurried conclusion,” Haruna Iddrisu of the NDC said after the election.

Ghana stands out as a stable democracy in volatile West Africa and observers, both Ghanaian and foreign, viewed the polling as generally free and fair.

Mahama was expected to address supporters of his party later in the day.

AFP