Elections in Ghana: 2024 Ghana Presidential and Parliamentary Election

Ghana will conduct its presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 40,976 polling stations across 276 constituencies in the 16 regions of the country. Special, or early, voting will take place on December 2 for registered voters who have roles to play on Election Day. These include security officials, accredited media personnel, and election management body staff, including polling staff.

The upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections are the ninth general elections since the inception of the 1992 Republican Constitution, with two presidential run-offs. These general elections provide an opportunity for citizens to deepen and consolidate Ghana’s democratic gains in an era of democratic backsliding and military coups in countries including Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, and Niger in west and central Africa. 

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the National Patriotic Party (NPP) are Ghana’s two leading political parties. Since 1992, they have alternated power every eight years, with the NPP securing presidential victories in 2016 and 2020. With the current president nearing the end of his second and final term, Ghana is set to elect a new president through the December elections. 

According to survey findings,9 the five key issues identified by Ghanaians for this election cycle are unemployment, infrastructure, healthcare, education, and economic management. Many citizens have been significantly impacted by the instability of the Ghanaian cedi, rising inflation, and persistently high unemployment. Afrobarometer reports that a considerable number of citizens have faced varying levels of lived poverty over the past year.

Youth unemployment, at 14 percent, remains a pressing concern, particularly for younger voters. At 55.1 percent of the electorate, young people will be instrumental in shaping the election’s outcome. In total, 708,280 citizens will be first-time voters. Political parties have ramped up efforts to engage Generation Z voters by leveraging social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, underscoring the growing importance of the youth vote in this election.

In the upcoming general elections, citizens will elect the president of Ghana. One of the original contestants died on October 28. The remaining candidates are: 

1. Mahamudu Bawumia, New Patriotic Party 

2. John Dramani Mahama, National Democratic Congress 

3. Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, Independent 

4. Christian Kwabena Andrews, Ghana Union Movement 

5. Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr, Great Consolidated Popular Party 

6. George Twum-Barima-Adu, independent 

7. Nana Kwame Bediako, independent 

8. Hassan Abdulai Ayariga, All People’s Congress 

9. Kofi Akpaloo, Liberal Party of Ghana 

10. Mohammed Frimpong, National Democratic Party 

11. Nana Akosua Frimpomaa, Convention People’s Party 

12. Kofi Koranteng, independent 

Ghanaians will also elect 276 Members of Parliament from the 801 candidates contesting for seats in the parliamentary election.

Ghana uses a simple plurality electoral system for presidential and parliamentary elections. 

In presidential elections, the candidate who wins at least 50 percent of valid votes plus one becomes president and serves a four-year term. If no candidate achieves this threshold in the first round or if there is a tie, the Electoral Commission is required to organize a runoff. 

For the parliamentary elections, 276 Members of Parliament are chosen for four-year terms from single-member constituencies. The candidate in a constituency who receives the most valid votes is declared the winner, as per the Public Elections Regulations, 2020. In case of a tie, the Electoral Commission organizes a runoff election.

The legal framework for conducting general elections in Ghana consists of: 

1. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana (Articles 49, 50, and 51) 

2. The Representation of the Peoples Law, 1992 (PNDCL12 284); and

3. Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (CI14 127). 

To be eligible to run in the presidential election, candidates must be Ghanaian, 40 years or older, and registered voters. Candidates for parliamentary seats must be Ghanaian of 21 years or older, and registered voters. 

Candidates for the elections must not owe allegiance to any other country and must have settled all tax obligations. 

Ghana does not reserve special or specific parliamentary seats for women. However, the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Act, passed in September 2024, requires political parties to adopt measures to promote gender equality in their candidature processes. This includes adhering to a 30 percent representation quota for women. Although the act was passed too late to be a requirement for this election, political parties will need to adhere to it in future electoral cycles. 

Currently, there is a gender imbalance among candidates vying for the presidential and parliamentary elections. There are 11 male presidential candidates and only one female candidate, and the 682 male parliamentary candidates far outnumber their 119 female counterparts.

Ghana’s electoral system has no campaign finance or donation limit for political parties or for presidential and parliamentary candidates, according to the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574). 

Section 55 (15) of the 1992 Constitution states that only Ghanaian citizens or Ghanaian-owned companies may contribute or donate to a political party registered in Ghana. There also is no spending limit. 

Civil society advocates have raised concerns about the high cost of politics, role of illicit funding, and lack of regulatory controls. 

The Electoral Commission of Ghana is the independent body responsible for managing elections. Its authority is derived from Articles 45, 46, and 55 of the 1992 Constitution20 and the Electoral Commission Act of 1993 (Act 541). 

Article 46 of the Constitution guarantees the commission’s independence, stating that it cannot be directed or controlled by any individual or authority. Article 45 outlines its key responsibilities, which include compiling and updating the voter register, defining electoral boundaries for national and local elections, conducting and supervising public elections and referenda, educating citizens about the electoral process, and implementing programs to increase voter registration.

•Election Day: 

o December 2, 2024: Special voting (also known as early voting) commences for the presidential and parliamentary elections. 

o December 7, 2024: General voting for the presidential and parliamentary elections. 

• Registered voters: 18,774,1592 (9,084,179 males and 9,689,980 females). o Youth (ages 18–35 years): 10,343,810. 

o Persons with disabilities: 55,492. 

• Polling stations: 40,976.

o Special voting centers: 328. 

o Voter threshold per polling station across the country: 749. 

• Seats: 

o One presidential seat. 

o 276 parliamentary seats across Ghana’s 16 regions. 

• Presidential candidate lists: 13.  

o Political party candidates: 9. o Independent candidates: 4.

• Parliamentary candidates: 801 (682 males and 119 females). 

o Independent candidates: 111. 

• Campaign expenditure and donation limits: None. 

• Other rules around Election Day: 

o The selling of alcohol is prohibited within 500 meters of any polling station. Drinking bars or spots are not permitted to operate on Election Day. 

o Voters are not permitted to carry weapons to a polling station on Election Day. 

o Voters must present valid government-issued identification at the polls. Those who do not have an acceptable form of identification, or who fail to bring it to the polls, may not be allowed to vote.

o A voter who loses his or her voter ID card has seven days to report in person to the district officer of the Electoral Commission or to the officer in charge of the nearest police station, who must report the loss to the district officer within seven days of receipt of the report.

• Electoral Commission of Ghana 

• Electoral Commission of Ghana: Frequently Asked Questions 

• Electoral Commission of Ghana: Polling Stations 

• Electoral Commission of Ghana: Summary of 2024 Certified Voter Register 

• Electoral Commission of Ghana: Voting 

• Constitution of the Republic of Ghana (1992) 

• The Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) • Public Elections Regulations, 2020

• Public Elections Regulations, 2020

Since Ghana’s transition to democratic rule in 1992, observers have considered it one of Africa’s most robust democracies. Despite this, the country has experienced some governance challenges over the past decade, along with falling public trust in the electoral process. Under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Political Accountability Activity (POLA), IFES supports Ghanaian civil society and government actors to address important issues of accountability and transparency in the country’s political system. Through POLA, IFES is strengthening Ghanaian civil society organizations’ knowledge of political finance, anti-corruption, and abuse of state resources to build public demand for stronger measures to control money in politics. IFES also partners with the National Commission for Civic Education to promote civic education on political accountability and civic engagement among Ghanaian youth.

These FAQs reflect decisions made by the Electoral Commission of Ghana as of November 27, 2024, to the best of our knowledge. This document does not represent any International Foundation for Electoral Systems policy or technical recommendations. This paper is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The information herein is provided by the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.