(3 Minutes Read)
Although 12 candidates are running to become Ghana’s next president, Saturday’s election — like previous ones since the return of multiparty politics in 1992 — has emerged as a two-horse race.
Polls opened in presidential and legislative elections in Ghana on Saturday, are a litmus test for democracy. Some 18.7 million people are registered to vote in the West African country hit by one of the worst economic crises in a generation.
At a time when coups threatened democracy in West Africa, Ghana has emerged as a beacon of democratic stability with a history of peaceful elections. It had also been an economic powerhouse, priding itself on its economic development. But in recent years, it has struggled with a profound economic crisis, including surging inflation and a lack of jobs.
Although 12 candidates are running to become Ghana’s next president, Saturday’s election — like previous ones since the return of multiparty politics in 1992 — has emerged as a two-horse race.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia is the candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party, or NPP, which has struggled to resolve the economic crisis. He faces off against former President John Dramani Mahama, the leader of the main opposition party National Democratic Congress, or NDC.
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The country defaulted on most of its foreign debt last year as it faced a worsening economic crisis that spiked the price of fuel, food, and other essential items. The inflation rate had hit 54% by the end of last year and though it’s been coming down since then, not many Ghanaians can still tell the difference when they go to the market.
